Pokemon: Ash's Ladder
by icecreamhendrix
Summary: Over the years, Ash and May have changed to fit into a world that does not always have their best interest at heart. Advancedshipping AshxMay Rated M for sex, drugs, alcohol, suicide, and language. CANCELED
1. Chapter 1: Prequel

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon  
**

* * *

The room had changed since the last time he saw it.

The first thing he noticed was the size. Apparently, Sabrina felt she needed more room to fight, said she needed "more room to free her mind, man". He didn't understand it. Also, the floor had a new tie-dye pattern to it, and the walls were covered in so many 'artworks' you couldn't even see any wall, unless you actively searched for it. Somewhere in between when they first met, 9 years ago, and now, she had met a man calling himself Guru Rainbow Sunshine, who had introduced her to a new way of life, as well as a thing called Acid. Eventually, the two became a couple, and had a daughter, named Samantha C resent Sunshine, after their respective mothers. They refused to be married, saying something about "being married in their soul", but they still behaved like a married couple...of hippies. After 9 year, it was surprising how much things had changed in his home region.

Of course, Ash Ketchum had changed as well.

Yes, his hair was the same raven-colored, spiky, jumbled mess it had always been, but he had long ago stopped wearing baseball caps at his ex-girlfriend's suggestion. He started wearing a flannel jacket, and his new jeans were already ripped and worn from weeks of traveling. He no longer wore gloves, but still kept a pair around for the winter months. He forgot to shave this morning, and it showed, with stubble spread all around his chin and lips, but it gave him sort of a masculine, rugged look. His brown eyes no longer had that naive, energetic spark to them, replaced with a worn look, a man eternally relaxed and at one with the world. From a distance, he looked like a bum (or at least his recently-met father, Giovanni, says so), but his fans, or more specifically fangirls, thought he was the sexiest man alive. His appearance, however, hasn't been his only change over time...

The judge stepped onto the field. "This battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Sabrina Sunshine will now commence! Each trainer will use three pokemon, with only the challenger using substitutes! Begin!

Sabrina threw her ball first "Wobbuffet, go."

The red-and-white sphere disappears, and in its place is a a blue, balloon-shaped creature with a constipated look on its face.

"Wobbuffet!" The creature screams while flailing its arms about.

Without saying a word, Ash picks the second Poke Ball on his belt, and threw it onto the field.

A large, mummy-like creature with a single red eye materialized in front of the trainer. He looked around, and was surprised by the garish floor paint.

"Dusclops Dus Dusclops Clops Dus!" [This isn't at all like what Pikachu said it would be. It looks like a clown vomited here.]

Suddenly he gazed at his opponent, and in that instant, a sea of hatred entered into his mind.

"DUSCLOPS?!" [A WOBBUFFET?!]

The Pikachu on the challengers shoulders sighed and held his head low in embarrassment. He never did get used to the Dusclops' unfounded xenophobia against Psychic Pokemon. Ash mistook his Dusclops' racism for a fighting spirit, so he actually encouraged him. Wobbuffet, frightened and confused, could do nothing but stand in one spot and shake nervously. Sabrina sensed her Pokemon's fear, but knew she had no choice but to continue.

_Man, that substitution rule's a bummer. My Wobbuffet is freakin' out!_ Sabrina thought to herself as she sat indian-style on the ground. "Wobbuffet, mellow out. You're gonna be just fine, man. I pro-" At that point, she was cut off by a Shadow Punch, unordered. Pikachu moaned in embarassment. This was gonna be a interesting battle.

* * *

In southwest Saffron City, unknown by Mr. Ketchum, May Maple was earning her second Kanto ribbon.

It was the final round against a red-haired girl named Sasha and her Hypno. Ms. Maple was using her shiny Mothim, and was thoroughly trouncing the poor Psychic, but...

"Mindwipe, stare directly at his eyes and use Hypnosis! I'm eager for a comeback!"

Mindwipe, the aforementioned Hypno, stared up at the bug and searched for its eyes, but its sluggish pace inherited from its species, as well as a lack of knowledge about the anatomy of a Mothim, caused a hiccup in Sasha's comeback plan.

Sasha sighed, "Goddammit, Mindwipe."

Mindwipe apologized, and as it turned to try again, May ordered her Mothim to finish off by using Psychic to drag Mindwipe closer, and then chomp on its throat with Bug Bite. Mindwipe survived unmarked, but fainted nonetheless.

The fair brunette, 6 years ago, would have been ecstatic at this moment of victory. But that girl had disappeared, and in her place was a sarcastic, cold woman. Her contest clothes were made of a yellow halter-top dress, with dark blue trimmings and the skirt reaching down above her ankles, showing off her pale yellow slingbacks. She wasn't crazy about it, but her old red evening gown was lost in a motel fire, and the Saffron mall was closed for a reason May didn't bother listening to, so she borrowed a dress from Dawn, who just started traveling with her, unti she could get a new one. After the ceremony, May took her ribbon and made her way back to the hotel to change.

On the way to the hotel room, May heard a rapid foot pace approaching from behind. She turned to see Zoey running up to her.

"Hey *pant* May," she huffed, "there's an *pant* after party happening *pant* just down the street to celebrate your win. Think you can *pant* make it?"

"Sure, I don't have anything else planned. Might as well get wasted." She replied, "Where's the address?"

"1440, this little club down the street. You'll know it when you see it. Catch you there!" Zoey waved goodbye and walked away.

When May finally made it to the hotel, she changed into her now-standard low-rise jeans, crimson tank top, faded jean jacket, and mule shoes. She wasn't terribly interested in the party, so she decided to watch TV for a few hours. She didn't think she would be back for a while, so she let her pokemon out of their balls to stretch and relax with her. Blaziken and Pincer wanted to train with each other, but knew better than to ask. Mothim and Beautifly started bickering over their respective performances in the contest. May grew tired of listening to them and sent the two outside until they were calm enough to act civil. Glaceon and Furret crawled on the bed and snuggled next to May while she watched Without A Trace. This episode was a rerun, a mom was secretly working as a stripper to pay off her husband's debts, and disappeared. May found the argument the two had in front of the bar the day before she slipped away funny, in a morbid sense. She had develop a dark sense of humor from watching Army of Darkness one too many times.

The episode ended. She didn't feel like watching the next one, so she grabbed her purse and headed to where Zoey said.


	2. Chapter 2: Things have changed

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**I don't think I said this, but May also dosn't wear her bandana anymore either**

**And if anyone has a problem with the racist Dusclops. I live in a town in Missouri with a population less than 1,500. I have to deal with racist every day.**

**btw, this fanfic has a theme song: "All the Young Dudes" by Mott the Hoople**

**Uh, R&R, I suppose**

* * *

Brock was shocked by Dusclops' speed and ferocity in this fight, already he had taken down Sabrina's Wobbuffet, and her Kadabra went down with one very over-pronounced Night Shade. All the gym leader had left was the Haunter she acquired thanks to Ash's machinations.

Dusclops lost most of his fervor at the sight of the Gas Pokemon, joyed at the sight of one of his own.

"Dusclops! Dus Dusclops Dus Clops" [Hail my brother! What are you doing socializing with these inferior magicians!]

"Haunter?!" [What are you talking about?!]

"Dusclops Clops Dus Clops Clops Dus Dus, Dus Clops Dus Dusclops. Dus Clops! Dus Clops! Dus Dus Dusclops! Dus Clo...[Our kind cannot and should not be mixing with types of lower status, and Psychics are the most deplorable. Spirit Power! Spirit Power! Come join me brother! Spirit Po...]

Dusclops was interrupted by a Shadow Ball delivered by his "brother", who finally caught on to his message. When Sabrina had met Rainbow, Haunter was the one who convinced them to get together, so he couldn't oblige to intolerance of any kind. Also, he found his chanting insufferable.

"C'mon Dusclops, this is a battle! Stop trying to talk to him! What happened to that fighting spirit you had?!"

Dusclops wasn't paying attention to his trainer. He was flabbergasted that another one of his kind would actually lay a finger against him, especially in defense of a filthy Psychic. Of course, this isn't the first time this has happened, but it surprised him every time. So, he did what he did every time this happened; he tried to convince him.

[My brother, it has been proven scientifically that Ghosts are superior to Psychics. Surely you can't-] Pow.

[Our might would be diluted by their lower genes-] Zap.

[My brother, where is your sense of Spir-] Crack.

Needless to say it did not go well.

After a few minutes, Dusclops collapsed without lifting a finger against his brother/enemy. Ash was confused as to why this happened every time he fought a Ghost type, and recalled the Pokemon with the usual "good job, take a rest" mantra. Lucky for the aspiring Pokemon master, he brought a fail-safe.

"Tyranitar, get out here and start things off with Sandstorm!"

In a flash, a large, green-colored, armor-looking behemoth with a blue belly materialized onto the psychedelic floor. As he summoned sand and wind from the surrounding area, he gave a loud roar meant to impress, but only intimidate everyone.

"Pika..."[Showoff...] Pikachu sighed.

"Sneak up behind him and use Crunch," Ash ejaculated.

"TAR!" [ALRIGHT!] Tyranitar, exited to show off his skills, started crawling around to get behind his blinded opponent. He latched on to the helpless Haunter and refused to let go, even when commanded to use Psychic. Not that it affected him much anyway, being a Dark type.

"Cool, Tyranitar. Smoke'em with Hyper Beam."

With the Haunter still in his jaws, he spewed an almost insulting amount of energy out of his throat, which the Haunter absorbed the full brunt of. He collapsed instantaneously.

Ash, instead of jumping up and down in celebration like the child he once was, let out a contented sigh in his victory. He had become much calmer and collected during his years of travel and adventure, even his movements have become more sluggish and lazy. He always seemed to have a glazed look in his eyes, and he only ever raised his voice during battles, and even then rarely.

Sabrina presented him with the Marsh badge, and commented on how powerful his Pokemon, adding...

"Teach your Dusclops to love all creatures. Love makes the world go 'round, bra." Confused by this, Ash decided not to inquire any further. Dusclops had helped him win the Johto and Hoenn Championships last year and the year before, so he figured whatever it was he had overlooked about him wasn't important right now. He turned to his friend Brock.

"Great job, Ash. You barely broke a sweat out there." Brock observed.

"Did you expect anything less from me?" Ash grinned, "Where did Misty go?"

"She stepped outside. She needed a cigarette. Speaking of which, so do I. Let's go join her." Brock turned toward the door

"Nic-slaves." Ash followed his friend.

* * *

Outside, Misty was sitting on a bench with her purple Bic lighter and pack of Pall Malls, she was just pulling one out when Brock gave her a tap on the shoulder.

"Gotta spare? I left mine in the hotel room."

Misty smiled and gave her friend an extra. He sat down next to her and took a drag of it when Ash and Pikachu caught up to them.

"Hey guys, this seat taken?" He motioned to the extra space next to Brock.

"Just sit down," Misty said. She put her lighter and pack back in her purse. "So Ash, how did you do in the battle? Sorry I couldn't see the end."

Ash grinned, "I won it. Damnedest thing though, when Sabrina sent out her Haunter, Dusclops started trying to talk to him, like he was reasoning with him or something. Haunter just kept throwing Shadow Balls at it until he fainted, and Dusclops didn't lift a finger. Had to pull out Tyranitar."

Misty and Brock looked at each other. They were fully aware of Dusclops' bigotry, even if Ash hadn't caught on yet. They both decided not to tell him, agreeing it was for the best. She never let her Starmie out when he was around, though.

Misty was wearing a pair of bell-bottom blue jeans, with sky blue pumps, a turquoise undershirt, and a blue overcoat. The 20 year olds hair had changed quite a bit. It was smoother, and reached down to the small of her back when undone. She still had a ponytail sticking out of the side of her head, but it was on the opposite side, and much lower than her younger days.

Brock has changed the least of the three. He wore a simple steel-gray t-shirt, a pair of khakis, and a thick green winter coat with a Pokenav sticking out of the inside pocket. His hair was the same, but slightly grayer from dealing with Ash, and possibly from smoking for 2 years.

The three friends were sitting there for several minutes, not talking about anything in particular, when a girl with short hair that had been dyed green walked up to Ash.

She stared for a second and finally said, "A-are you Ash Ketchum?"

"Yes" The girl let out a very loud squeal, signifying she was one of Ash's many fangirls he had acquired over time.

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!! I have been a fan of yours since I saw you win the Silver Conference 2 years ago!" The girl smiled, "I was in the stadium when you went to the Ever Grande Conference. You used your Feraligatr against that little snot-nosed fucker Paul, and the look on his face when his Electabuzz went down without even landing a hit was priceless! And, when you..."

"Calm down, calm down. I know what I did. You don't have to tell me." Ash attempted to settle the girl down.

"I'm sorry, I'm just suuuuch a big fan of yours!" The girl took some silent deep breaths. Ash eyed her for a second.

"Say, what's your name?"

"Harmony."

"Harmony, my friends and I are having a little victory party tonight at a local bar, and we would like you to come."

The girl's mouth opened, stunned by the proposal. Was this really happening? Was Ash Ketchum really inviting her to something? THE Ash Ketchum? The man of her dreams, who she had a poster of on her wall wearing that jacket with the faux-fur covered hood, that she had the kind of dreams about every night you don't tell your mother about? Was this really happening?

"Yes, I'd love to come," she squeaked out, acting like he just proposed marriage to her.

"Kay then, it's at the Colonel's on the west side of town. Starts at 8. See ya there." The four then stood up and walked away.

Misty, Brock, and the electric mouse all three shook there heads. Tonight was another mess they had to clean up.

* * *

"So May, you have any idea where the next contest is?"

She barely heard Drew. She got lucky this time and found a bartender she could bribe. She looked down bleary-eyed at her glass of vodka. God, she thought, why do I drink? I can't hold it for shit.

"May, are you alright?" Drew interjected yet again.

"Hmm?" She looked over at her friend. Even though the alcohol still stung her eyes, she could still make out Drew's neon purple coat and head of plant green hair. It made her hungry. Her brain suddenly jumped to his weird habit of pulling out roses and giving them to people. She never understood why he did it. Maybe to cover up the fact that he was gay, and his father was a Republican senator.

"May, are you alright? You've been here for 3 hours. I think you should lay off the vodka for tonight."

"Ffuck offff, boy toy," She retorted in a slurred voice. Still, she thought he was right. She was pretty wasted, and she had a little more than she usually had. For some reason, she had been a little depressed lately. But she didn't want to leave yet, so fuck him.

Drew rolled his eyes, "Alright May, but if you pass out again, I'm not taking you back to your hotel."

All of a sudden, May was feeling woozy, and she wanted to go to the bathroom more than anything in her life.

"Zzoey, can you help me ouwt? I nneed to ppee.." she slurred. She looked around and realized Zoey wasn't there, but Dawn was. "Sssorry Don."

"Don't worry about it," She put her arm around her friend. "Upsy-daisy, now."

"You'rrre a good friend, Dawn." May made it to the bathroom and did her business. As soon as Dawn helped her out the bathroom door, May passed out and Drew, Dawn, and Zoey helped her back to her room in the Saffron hotel.

* * *

The party was over, but Ash was the only one with a parting gift.

He had to kick the door open because his hands were full. In one arm, he had a half-filled bottle of generic white wine, while in the other, the green-haired girl was hanging on him, intoxicated from both alcohol and fangirl-syndrome. Pikachu was banished to Misty's shoulder for the night, and he borrowed a couple of condoms from Brock before the party. Convincing the girl to come with him would have been easy enough before he bought her a beer, but he wanted to wake up before her, and there was something about a drunk fangirl that made them so....obedient. They made their way to the bathroom. Ash put the seat down and sat down with his crotch thrust forward.

"Hey babe, what was that pet name I gave you?"

"Uhh, torchichead."

"You know what a torchichead is?"

"Yeah." She didn't know what one was exactly, but she figured she would find out by the end of the night.

"Well, how 'bout a little role playing?" Ash undid the cork on th bottle and proceeded to pour it down her throat as she pressed the back of her head against his crotch. She almost choked once or twice, but managed to down what was left in the bottle. Ash threw the bottle in the bathtub, and miraculously it didn't break. The green-haired girl giggled with drunken glee, staring at Ash's spiky hairstyle and glazed-over brown eyes. Ash motioned her off his pants, and reached to undo his belt.

She gaped. "Wow. I can't believe this. I just wanna say I'm super happy to be sharing this with you. I've always dreamed about this, and I gotta say the real thing is..."

"Hey, babe? Didn't we agree you were a torchichead?"

"Yeah"

"Well, torchicheads don't talk. Now get to work." He scowled and motioned toward his exposed member.

She giggled stupidly, and obliged. After about 10 minutes of this, Ash decided to get this show on the road.

"Say babe, why don't you get your sweet ass on the mattress? I'll catch up to you in a little bit." She got up and went to kiss him but he stopped her.

"Babe, did you swallow?"

"Yeah.."

"Then no more kissing for the night. Now get in there." She frowned, but did what she was told. She didn't want to pass this chance up by arguing over something stupid.

He stood up, refitted his boxers, and decided to leave his pants here for the night. He walked over to the counter, reached into his jacket, and pulled out a bag of what looked like granulated sugar. He opened the bag, spread a little over the porcelain counter, and smiled to himself.

"Haha, this one's got a lotta energy. I think I'm gonna need a little more of 'daddy's magic powder' than usual. Maybe... three lines." he pulled a razor and straw out, and proceeded to divide and snort the cocaine. What was left he put back in the bag and hid it in the cabinets underneath the seat so Misty and Brock wouldn't find out. Waste not, want not.

After about 5 minutes, letting the stuff cook in his system, Ash exited the bathroom and turned his head toward the mattress. The green-haired girl was laying on the bed with her shirt off, revealing a purple lace bra. He took off his shirt and jacket and lied down on top of her, kissing her neck, and reached around her back to undo her bra, showing off her B-cups.

As the stuff kicked into his system, Ash realized she didn't have as much energy as he thought.


	3. Chapter 3: Cleaning up the mess

Brock was shocked by Dusclops' speed and ferocity in this fight, already he had taken down Sabrina's Wobbuffet, and her Kadabra went down with one very over-pronounced Night Shade. All the gym leader had left was the Haunter she acquired thanks to Ash's machinations.

Dusclops lost most of his fervor at the sight of the Gas Pokemon, joyed at the sight of one of his own.

"Dusclops! Dus Dusclops Dus Clops" [Hail my brother! What are you doing socializing with these inferior magicians!]

"Haunter?" [What are you talking about?]

"Dusclops Clops Dus Clops Clops Dus Dus, Dus Clops Dus Dusclops. Dus Clops! Dus Clops! Dus Dus Dusclops! Dus Clo...[Our kind cannot and should not be mixing with types of lower status, and Psychics are the most deplorable. Spirit Power! Spirit Power! Come join me brother! Spirit Po...]

Dusclops was interrupted by a Shadow Ball delivered by his "brother", who finally caught on to his message. When Sabrina had met Rainbow, Haunter was the one who convinced them to get together, so he couldn't oblige to intolerance of any kind. Also, he found his chanting insufferable.

"C'mon Dusclops, this is a battle! Stop trying to talk to him! What happened to that fighting spirit you had?"

Dusclops wasn't paying attention to his trainer. He was flabbergasted that another one of his kind would actually lay a finger against him, especially in defense of a filthy Psychic. Of course, this isn't the first time this has happened, but it surprised him every time. So, he did what he did every time this happened; he tried to convince him.

[My brother, it has been proven scientifically that Ghosts are superior to Psychics. Surely you can't...] Pow.

[Our might would be diluted by their lower genes...] Zap.

[My brother, where is your sense of Spir..] Crack.

Needless to say it did not go well.

After a few minutes, Dusclops collapsed without lifting a finger against his brother/enemy. Ash was confused as to why this happened every time he fought a Ghost type, and recalled the Pokemon with the usual "good job, take a rest" mantra. Lucky for the aspiring Pokemon master, he brought a fail-safe.

"Tyranitar, get out here and start things off with Sandstorm!"

In a flash, a large, green-colored, armor-looking behemoth with a blue belly materialized onto the psychedelic floor. As he summoned sand and wind from the surrounding area, he gave a loud roar meant to impress, but only intimidate everyone.

"Pika..."[Showoff...] Pikachu sighed.

"Sneak up behind him and use Crunch," Ash ejaculated.

"TAR!" [ALRIGHT!] Tyranitar, exited to show off his skills, started crawling around to get behind his blinded opponent. He latched on to the helpless Haunter and refused to let go, even when commanded to use Psychic. Not that it affected him much anyway, being a Dark type.

"Cool, Tyranitar. Smoke'em with Hyper Beam."

With the Haunter still in his jaws, he spewed an almost insulting amount of energy out of his throat, which the Haunter absorbed the full brunt of. He collapsed instantaneously.

Ash, instead of jumping up and down in celebration like the child he once was, let out a contented sigh in his victory. He had become much calmer and collected during his years of travel and adventure, even his movements have become more sluggish and lazy. He always seemed to have a glazed look in his eyes, and he only ever raised his voice during battles, and even then rarely.

Sabrina presented him with the Marsh badge, and commented on how powerful his Pokemon, adding...

"Teach your Dusclops to love all creatures. Love makes the world go 'round, bra." Confused by this, Ash decided not to inquire any further. Dusclops had helped him win the Johto and Hoenn Championships last year and the year before, so he figured whatever it was he had overlooked about him wasn't important right now. He turned to his friend Brock.

"Great job, Ash. You barely broke a sweat out there." Brock observed.

"Did you expect anything less from me?" Ash grinned, "Where'd Misty go?"

"She stepped outside. She needed a cigarette. Speaking of which, so do I. Let's go join her." Brock turned toward the door

"Nic-slaves." Ash followed his friend.

Outside, Misty was sitting on a bench with her purple Bic lighter and pack of Pall Malls, she was just pulling one out when Brock gave her a tap on the shoulder.

"Gotta spare? I left mine in the hotel room."

Misty smiled and gave her friend an extra. He sat down next to her and took a drag of it when Ash and Pikachu caught up to them.

"Hey guys, this seat taken?" He motioned to the extra space next to Brock.

"Just sit down," Misty said. She put her lighter and pack back in her purse. "So Ash, howd'ya do in the battle? Sorry I couldn't see the end."

Ash grinned, "I won it. Damnest thing though, when Sabrina sent out her Haunter, Dusclops started trying to talk to him, like he was reasoning with him or something. Haunter just kept throwing Shadow Balls at it until he fainted, and Dusclops didn't lift a finger. Had to pull out Tyranitar."

Misty and Brock looked at each other. They were fully aware of Dusclops' bigotry, even if Ash hadn't caught on yet. They both decided not to tell him, agreeing it was for the best. She never let her Starmie out when he was around, though.

Misty was wearing a pair of bell-bottom blue jeans, with sky blue pumps, a turquoise undershirt, and a blue overcoat. The 20 year olds hair had changed quite a bit. It was smoother, and reached down to the small of her back when undone. She still had a ponytail sticking out of the side of her head, but it was on the opposite side, and much lower than her younger days.

Brock has changed the least of the three. He wore a simple steel-grey t-shirt, a pair of khakis, and a thick green winter coat with a Pokenav sticking out of the inside pocket. His hair was the same, but slightly grayer from dealing with Ash, and possibly from smoking for 2 years.

The three friends were sitting there for several minutes, not talking about anything in particular, when a girl with short hair that had been dyed green walked up to Ash.

She stared for a second and finally said, "A-are you Ash Ketchum?"

"Yes" The girl let out a very loud squeal, signifying she was one of Ash's many fangirls he had acquired over time.

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! I have been a fan of yours since I saw you win the Silver Conference 2 years ago!" The girl smiled, "I was in the stadium when you went to the Ever Grande Conference. You used your Feraligatr against that little snot-nosed fucker Paul, and the look on his face when his Electabuzz went down without even landing a hit was priceless! And, when you..."

"Calm down, calm down. I know what I did. You don't have to tell me." Ash attempted to settle the girl down.

"I'm sorry, I'm just suuuuch a big fan of yours!" The girl took some silent deep breaths. Ash eyed her for a second.

"Say, what's your name?"

"Harmony."

"Harmony, my friends and I are having a little victory party tonight at a local bar, and we would like you to come."

The girl's mouth opened, stunned by the proposal. Was this really happening? Was Ash Ketchum really inviting her to something? THE Ash Ketchum? The man of her dreams, who she had a poster of on her wall wearing that jacket with the faux-fur covered hood, that she had the kind of dreams about every night you don't tell your mother about? Was this really happening?

"Yes, I'd love to come," she squeaked out, acting like he just proposed marriage to her.

"Kay then, it's at the Colonel's on the west side of town. Starts at 8. See ya there." The four then stood up and walked away.

Misty, Brock, and the electric mouse all three shook there heads. Tonight was another mess they had to clean up.

"So May, you have any idea where the next contest is?"

She barely heard Drew. She got lucky this time and found a bartender she could bribe. She looked down bleary-eyed at her glass of vodka. God, she thought, why do I drink? I can't hold it for shit.

"May, are you alright?" Drew interjected yet again.

"Hmm?" She looked over at her friend. Even though the alcohol still stung her eyes, she could still make out Drew's neon purple coat and head of plant green hair. It made her hungry. Her brain suddenly jumped to his weird habit of pulling out roses and giving them to people. She never understood why he did it. Maybe to cover up the fact that he was gay, and his father was a Republican senator.

"May, are you alright? You've been here for 3 hours. I think you should lay off the vodka for tonight."

"Ffuck offff, boy toy," She retorted in a slurred voice. Still, she thought he was right. She was pretty wasted, and she had a little more than she usually had. For some reason, she had been a little depressed lately. But she didn't want to leave yet, so fuck him.

Drew rolled his eyes, "Alright May, but if you pass out again, I'm not taking you back to your hotel."

All of a sudden, May was feeling woozy, and she wanted to go to the bathroom more than anything in her life.

"Zzoey, can you help me ouwt? I nneed to ppee.." she slurred. She looked around and realized Zoey wasn't there, but Dawn was. "Sssorry Don."

"Don't worry about it," She put her arm around her friend. "Upsy-daisy, now."

"You'rrre a good friend, Dawn." May made it to the bathroom and did her business. As soon as Dawn helped her out the bathroom door, May passed out and Drew, Dawn, and Zoey helped her back to her room in the Saffron hotel.

The party was over, but Ash was the only one with a parting gift.

He had to kick the door open because his hands were full. In one arm, he had a half-filled bottle of generic white wine, while in the other, the green-haired girl was hanging on him, intoxicated from both alcohol and fangirl-syndrome. Pikachu was banished to Misty's shoulder for the night, and he borrowed a couple of condoms from Brock before the party. Convincing the girl to come with him would have been easy enough before he bought her a beer, but he wanted to wake up before her, and there was something about a drunk fangirl that made them so...obedient. They made their way to the bathroom. Ash put the seat down and sat down with his crotch thrusted forward.

"Hey babe, what was that pet name I gave you?"

"Uhh, torchichead."

"You know what a torchichead is?"

"Yeah." She didn't know what one was exactly, but she figured she would find out by the end of the night.

"Well, how 'bout a little roleplaying?" Ash undid the cork on th bottle and proceeded to pour it down her throat as she pressed the back of her head against his crotch. She almost choked once or twice, but managed to down what was left in the bottle. Ash threw the bottle in the bathtub, and miraculously it didn't break. The green-haired girl giggled with drunken glee, staring at Ash's spiky hairstyle and glazed-over brown eyes. Ash motioned her off his pants, and reached to undo his belt.

She gaped. "Wow. I can't believe this. I just wanna say I'm super happy to be sharing this with you. I've always dreamed about this, and I gotta say the real thing is..."

"Hey, babe? Didn't we agree you were a torchichead?"

"Yeah"

"Well, torchicheads don't talk. Now get to work." He scowled and motioned toward his exposed member.

She giggled stupidly, and obliged. After about 10 minutes of this, Ash decided to get this show on the road.

"Say babe, why don't you get your sweet ass on the mattress? I'll catch up to you in a little bit." She got up and went to kiss him but he stopped her.

"Babe, did you swallow?"

"Yeah.."

"Then no more kissing for the night. Now get in there." She frowned, but did what she was told. She didn't want to pass this chance up by arguing over something stupid.

He stood up, refitted his boxers, and decided to leave his pants here for the night. He walked over to the counter, reached into his jacket, and pulled out a bag of what looked like granulated sugar. He opened the bag, spread a little over the porcelain counter, and smiled to himself.

"Haha, this one's got alotta energy. I think I'm gonna need a little more of 'daddy's magic powder' than usual. Maybe... three lines." he pulled a razor and straw out, and proceeded to divide and snort the cocaine. What was left he put back in the bag and hid it in the cabinets underneath the seat so Misty and Brock wouldn't find out. Waste not, want not.

After about 5 minutes, letting the stuff cook in his system, Ash exited the bathroom and turned his head toward the mattress. The green-haired girl was laying on the bed with her shirt off, revealing a purple lace bra. He took off his shirt and jacket and lied down on top of her, kissing her neck, and reached around her back to undo her bra, showing off her B-cups.

As the stuff kicked into his system, Ash realized she didn't have as much energy as he thought. 


	4. Chapter 4: I'm such a tease!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Sorry for the delay guys, don't blame me, blame Transformers and Pulp Fiction.**

**This chapter's a little shorter than I hoped, and I'm a little disappointed with some parts, if anyone spots some problems with this chapter, or this fic for that matter, don't hesitate to tell me. I'm kinda a perfectionist.  
**

**R&R I suppose  
**

* * *

The first thing Harmony saw when her eyes opened was the alarm clock. It was small, with a black plastic casing in a trapezoid shape, and that bold red segmented lettering that all digital clocks had. It red 1:16. For two seconds, she wondered what it was called. After that brief moment of drowsiness, she realized she was nude. The memories of last night flooded into her like pink lemonade. She bolted upright, holding the cheap hotel blanket over her bosom.

"Ash!" Harmony rolled over in her bed, ecstatic to see her lover. Instead, the girl grasped at empty air.

"A-Ash?"The green-haired girl looked around, hoping to see any sign of him. What she found in its place was a lack of male clothing, an open bathroom door, and the ripped condom wrappers he hadn't even bothered to throw away. With this new information came a sad realization: he was gone, and he wasn't coming back anytime soon. Desperate and confused, she leaped from the mattress and raced to the hotel window. What she wanted to do or hoped to see, she didn't know, but something in her gut gave her hope. Whatever mysterious hope she had was quickly destroyed as soon as she reached the glass pane, no longer caring about her modesty. On the other side of the window, she saw the man who loved her last night, along with his dark-skinned friend and the red-haired woman, climbing into a cab, which stalled for a few seconds, as if taunting her, and then drove off.

That did it for her. Harmony turned around, back against the wall, slid to the floor, and started sobbing. She honestly thought she was special to him. He said all these nice things about her. He told her green hair complemented her navy blue eyes, the stars in her eyes reminding him of his lonely nights crossing the world. Were...were they all just lies? When he slid into her, breaking her hymen, she swore she could see the future. Their future. Together. At their wedding. Buying their first house. Having his children. Was it all for naught, just an adolescent fantasy?

She wanted to stop crying, she knew it was a childish dream, to run away with the man she idealized since she was little, but she couldn't do it. It was too much. Instead, she said something to no one around, but to one man who couldn't hear her.

"Come back to me! I love you!"

* * *

Ash was walking through the the lobby of the Saffron hotel, when it hit him: What was his mother doing here in Saffron City? She certainly never came out before to watch his gym battles, and besides, he had his Marsh Badge already. If it was for a vacation, there were much better places to relax than a cesspool of pollution like Saffron City, like the Orange Islands, or Snowpoint City, even Lilycove City had that Italian romance quality to it. He had no problem with his mom satisfying any urges she might have, as long as he didn't know about it. She couldn't be here on business; she was a restaurant owner who went into early retirement, and she sold that place 2 years ago! Ash figured he would find out before the day was over, and so stopped worrying about it. Ash and Pikachu walked to the front desk, where a woman with a blond ponytail and lead-colored business suit was talking to a bellboy.

"Excuse me, ma'am." Ash interjected. The woman finished her conversation with the employee and answered.

"Yes?"

"Is there a Ms. Delia Ketchum here?" Ash asked. He never understood why she kept her married name after the divorce. It felt unnatural to him, like some sort of corporate pun. Maybe it was because her maiden name was ridiculous.

"Here, let me check and see." She grabbed a clipboard and skimmed over it with her hazel eyes. Ash noticed that she was very young to be working at the front desk of a hotel this prestigious, she couldn't be more than a few years older than him. Ash also noticed how...curvy she was, and how her tweed skirt showed off her knees and highlighted her hips. Ash was truly insatiable.

_If only I had the time_, he sighed to himself.

"Um.. yes! She is still with us. Her room number is..."

"I know where her room is. Thank you so much, ma'am." Ash interrupted her. She was visibly annoyed, but Ash failed to notice as he walked to his friends.

"So, is she still here?" Misty asked.

"Yeah. Say, what was her room number again?"

Misty sighed, "It was 314, 10th floor."

"Right," Ash smiled, "Thanks babe."

Misty's face contorted slightly. "Don't call me 'babe'."

"Oh, sorry." Ash's stopped grinning.

Misty's face resumed its natural position, and she and her male companions turned to the stairwell. On the way, Ash thought he saw a familiar flash of blue hair. He turned to see who it was, and in his daze, he bumped into someone and pushed the equally inattentive person to the floor.

"Ow! Watch where you're going, assface!"

Ash turned to tell off the person who verbally assaulted him, but when he did, he instead found himself suprised and delighted.

"May?"

The brunette looked up, "Ash?"

* * *

May enjoyed seeing Ash again. He had grown a lot more tan since they last parted ways, and his taste in clothes had grown exceptionally better, but she couldn't talk with him for long, she had important business to attend to with her friends.

May made her way to the lounge, and spotted her friends almost immediately; it was rather hard to miss a 6-foot tall red chicken. She was surprised to see Zoey already down here. _How long did my talk with Ash go?_ She thought, _Anyway, I hope she keeps her promise._ Zoey and Dawn were sitting on a green leather couch, and May took the liberty of sitting next to Dawn. Drew was seated across from them in a recliner of the same make, with Blaziken and Pinsir standing in-between the two pieces of furniture.

May spoke first. "So guys, have we decided where we're headed next?"

Dawn replied, "Yes. We've decided to go to Fuchsia City. Zoey and I have never been, and we would love an excuse to visit Celadon Mall. Also, Cycling Road would greatly reduce our travel time, and I've heard the Safari Zone has some Exeggcute. I've got a Leaf Stone burning a hole in my pocket."

May smiled, "Great, now that that's settled, I've got somewhere to-"

"Uh, actually guys, it's not totally settled," Drew interjected, "I've got something to tell you guys."

The three lady's ears perked up at this.

"What is it, Drew?" Zoey inquired.

"Well," Drew cracked his neck, "do you guys remember my ex-boyfriend Carl Luce?"

Dawn tilted her head slightly. "The guy with the crew cut that said 'For God's sake' way too much?"

"The very same." Drew nodded, "Well, I met him May's victory party, and he and I are getting back together."

"Really? Awesome!" Zoey lit up, "I'm happy for you guys! So, when will he be joining us?"

"That's the thing. He lives in Cerulean City, he wants to go home to pick up some things before we go traveling, and I'm going with him," Drew stated solemnly. The three young women were verbally gobsmacked.

"So, you'll be leaving us then?" Zoey asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah"

After an awkward silence, May stood up, walked to the other side of the coffee table, and gave her gay friend a farewell hug. After a few seconds, Drew broke the hug, and put his hair back into place.

"I'm gonna miss you, Drew," May said.

"I'll miss you guys too," He repeated, "but I can't spend my whole life with you guys holding me back, now can I?"

The foursome laughed, and May lightly punched Drew just below his sore shoulder.

* * *

Ash knocked on the door to his mother's room. After a few moments, she answered, and Ash was shocked to see what she was wearing. Her usual ponytail was undone, she had on a red satin button-up shirt, partially unbuttoned at the top, that was obviously not hers, and not visibly much else. Her long red hair flowed over her face and looked generally unkempt, and she had a much more relaxed movements than usual. All these were tell-tale signs, although Ash didn't like to think about what these were signs of.

"Oh my, Ash!" She tensed up, and quickly buttoned up the rest of her shirt, "I-I didn't think you'd be come here so early!"

"Mom, it's 2:30." Ash retorted.

"Oh," she glanced at the clock on her end table, "So it is. Well, come on in, son. I'll go find some pants." She darted off.

Ash and co. entered Delia's room, a suite, and all four found places to sit. Ash first went over to sit on the bed, but the idea made him cringe slightly, so he found a wicker chair in the corner of the room. Pikachu hated wicker, so the fat yellow mouse jumped off his trainers shoulder and found a spot on the dresser next to the television set. Misty and Brock pushed the blankets on the mattress away, and sat on the right side, facing the east wall where the door was. Delia was still looking for her skirt, and the journey to preserve her modesty in front of her son led her to a second room. The foursome sat uncomfortably, not making a sound aside from Misty occasionally clearing her through. Both her and Brock's body language clearly translated that they had never wanted a cigarette more than they did now, but they had both promised Ash not to smoke in front of Delia. In their silence, they heard a toilet flush, and all four realized in unison that Ash's mother was not in the bathroom.

Suddenly, the door opened. "Hey Delia, do you know what the button that says 'Rear Cleansing' does?"

The man wearing the pink bathrobe walked forward a few feet, until his eyes locked with the young group of trainers in the room. The color drain from Giovanni's face, as he realized he was half naked in the same room as his son, Ash Ketchum.


	5. Chapter 5: Unexpected, and not expected

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Once again, this chapter is short, and I'm not completely satisfied with it.**

**Oh, by the way Gerbilftw, I hope you know now that you complained aout me calling Pikachu fat, I'm now going to call him fat every chapter I mention him. I'm a jerk like that:)**

**R&R I suppose  
**

* * *

Drew had gone upstairs to pack; he was leaving tonight, and was planning on meeting Carl at the Pokemon Center sometime around 4:00. May left to take care of a problem she didn't want to talk about. Of course, Zoey knew what the problem was. Regardless, May decided to take her Pokemon with her for moral support, which left Zoey and Dawn alone, in the hotel lobby, on a green leather couch. For a while, neither lady spoke, until...

"So, I can't believe Drew's actually going to leave us." Dawn broke the silence, "I mean, the four of us have been together for almost three years!"

"Yeah." Zoey agreed, "It's almost like a piece of us is going away. I've been trying to convince him to trade his Absol for my Misdreavus, and now I'll never get the chance."

Dawn giggled, "Yeah, every group of girls needs a gay friend."

Zoey laughed nervously. The two girls returned to the uncomfortable silence that was just permeated. During that time, Zoey stole a glance at her blue-haired friend, admiring her porcelain skin and developing 14-year old figure, imagining Dawn's lips against her own, tongues wrestling for dominance with neither caring who won...

Zoey snapped out of it, cursing herself for being a romantic. She knew Dawn didn't feel the same about her. Dawn, beautiful and charismatic as she was, had been with men in the past, although Zoey knew she was still a virgin. Dawn didn't even know Zoey was a lesbian. No one did. She was too scared of what she would do if her blunette angel rejected her.

Drew was truly Zoey's hero; he had much more to lose than Zoey, the respect of his father, and he still had the guts to be true to himself. Zoey wasn't so lucky, no matter how brave a face she put on.

* * *

No one made a sound. The three young adults, the grown man, and the fat mouse remained motionless, as if frozen in time. Giovanni stood, in his pink bathrobe that reached all the way to his ankles, stared at his son, and Ash, fighting the urge to readjust the plastic bag under his armpit, and his friends, needing a smoke more than ever now, stared back. The silence was broken when Delia entered the room.

"Oh, uh, *clears throat*, well, I'm sure this is a surprise for everybody. Uh, Gio, why don't you and I sit down and explain everything."

Giovanni broke his glare, and agreed with the red-haired woman. Ash's eyes followed his parents as they walked to the other side of the bed and gently sat down on the hotel quilts. Delia had found a yellow skirt that reached past her knees, which Ash found ironic, and had changed out of what he assumed was 'Gio's shirt and found a pink cotton blouse that showed off her bosom quite nicely. Ash had to admit to himself, if she wasn't his mother, he'd do her. Ash mentally slapped himself for that thought just as his parents started talking.

"Well kids, the first thing I think I should mention is that I'm going to give up leadership of Team Rocket."

Ash's eyes jolted open at this bomb, and the other three mentally gasped to themselves.

Delia smiled, "Yes, he's finally grown sick of following in his family's footsteps, and is handing it over to your uncle Raphael." Delia hugged Giovanni's arm.

Giovanni scowled, "Of course, Raphael's such an spiteful bastard..."

"Giovanni Mobius Ketchum, do not use language like that in front of our son!" Delia snapped. Giovanni drew back slightly, forgetting how she could get when she was angry.

"Oh, I'm sure he's used worse language than that when you weren't looking, Delia." The gang leader retorted defensively. Delia glared at him, but didn't press the matter any further. "Anyway, Raphael refuses to take my place, so I'm still officially the leader until I can convince him otherwise, but I've halted most Rocket activity for the time being, so it shouldn't take long. Anyway, your mother and I have some very special news that I think your going to love. We wanted to tell you yesterday but-"

Delia squealed and interrupted him, "Your father and I are getting remarried!"

* * *

May was on her way to the Pokemon Mart, able to see the blue-roofed building in the distance, when she stopped. Not wanting to garner too much attention to herself, she rushed over to a hidden back alley and started to cry.

She hated herself for what she did, and she felt sorry fo the poor little embryo that was inside her womb that never even had the chance to grow a gender. She wanted to take back the last three hours of her life, so she could tale back her question to Zoey, just make the announcement in the middle of the lobby during the meeting, and raise it, without even figuring out who the father was. But she knew that would have ruined her life. She would have to quit being a coordinator, her parents would be outraged, and besides, what would she tell her friends anyway? 'I'm pregnant and I don't know who the dad is'? That would have gone over really well. No, this was for the best. If her baby would have been born, it would have lived a miserable life, but now that it was gone, she felt like she was missing a part of herself.

She knew of only one thing that could console herself in times like this: wine coolers.

* * *

If this forest had one truly defining characteristic, it's that its very essence was unsettling. The trees did not move, nor did the bushes, for there was no wind to carry them. The trees had a symmetrical quality to them, as if all of them, if you looked closely enough, were the exact same tree copied over and over. The ground was completely flat, with nay a rock, grass blade, nor single spec of dirt out of place. The entire area gave this impression that a scientist spent countless nights crafting this in a lab, and no one double-checked his work.

Of course, there was a reason for this; this was not a real forest at all, but a syntho-environment inside of a pokeball. Each and every pokeball carried a preset number of these false habitats, and when one ball was successfully used, it generated one based on the type, personality, and strength of the captured monster. This particular forest belonged to the very unique Dusclops that belonged to the Hoenn and Johto Champion, Ash Ketchum.

In contrast to Pikachu's loathing his syntho-environment, Dusclops felt this was the only place where anyone agreed with him since he left home as a Duskull. Now was a very important time of his, he was preparing a special speech to give to his followers. He searched around for where he left his uniform. Finally, he remembered he put it behind the bush in the northwestern corner. He proceeded to changed into it. It was a simple uniform, as he had to scavenge for it in the real world, and had to hide it from his master. It consisted of a red bedsheet that had been ripped to resemble a poncho, and a red hat made of poster board, taped into the shape of a cone. To anyone else, he would have looked like a circus performer, but Dusclops felt it made him look like a wizard.

He marched over to a clearing he had made, in it a stage he had built out of syntho-wood, with rows of pews erected in front of him. Behind the stage was a large, crude-looking wooden cross, that Dusclops had bewitched to look like it was covered in fire to symbolized his hatred against filthy 'magicians'. He stood up to his pedestal, and peered at his crowd.

Of course, it wasn't a real crowd, just stand-ins made out of woven reeds and covered in white sheets to make them look like a large group of Dusclops, but it didn't matter to Ash's Dusclops, it was good practice, and the world would replace them eventually.

* * *

Ash walked out of the hotel, his mind reeling from the day's events. he didn't even notice that Pikachu wasn't on his shoulder, like it always was; instead, Brock was loaning his to the fat electric mouse.

His parents were getting remarried. This...this was amazing news. He always felt pity for his mother, who was all alone, while Ash was out adventuring and having a good time. Plus, after he found out who his father was, the two of them talked, and Giovanni explained how he was forced into Team Rocket by a family he didn't want to be a part of, and how he was afraid the same thing would happen to his son, so he left them both to protect them, and only ordered Jesse and James on them because he knew from the start they were incompetent, and he didn't want anyone to suspect. Ash understood, and the two men held an emotive embrace.

Needless to say, Ash was very happy. However, he couldn't stay for very long. The group planned on leaving for Celadon City tomorrow, and Ash needed to get some supplies. Soon, they spotted the trademark blue roof in the distance, but with it came another suprise.

Walking in the opposite direction was a familiar guy-girl-Meowth trio, and upon spotting each other, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and the three opposites tensed up.

"It's da twerps!"

After this statement, the three posed and recounted a familiar motto.

"Prepare for trouble, in eerie Saffron!"

"Make it double, when-aw, who cares?"

Jessie and Meowth stared at James in shock

"Whaddaya mean 'who cares'? Dis is what we do! It's wat we've always done when ever we see da twerps!"

James screamed, "We don't even have any right to say it! It's not like we're a part of Team Rocket anymore!"

Misty was shocked, "Not part of Team Rocket anymore?"

The ex-Rockets turned to her with solemn eyes.

Jessie spoke first, "Well you see, after the boss found out you," she pointed to Ash, "were his son, he fired us, and told if he ever caught us bothering you, we were to be killed on sight. We've been out of work since"

James had started crying, so Meowth continued. "We tried to find work, first a dockyard, den a electronics store, and den a buncha udder places, but something always happened with dees two, and we were fired every time."

Jessie glared angrily at him, " 'Us two'? I seem to recall being fird from the Kay's Jewelers because you were hoarding rings!"

"Uh, dey were gifts, from my sisda, in Petalburg."

James had stopped crying, and joined Jessie, "You don't have a sister in Petalburg!'

As the three stooges were bickering, Misty started to tug on Ash's arm.

"C'mon Ash, let's get out of here before something happens."

Ash, however, wouldn't budge. He was in deep thought, mulling over something in his head, something that had very inherent risk, but the benefits could prove...interesting. Finally, he whistled at the formal criminals to get there attention, and then he made them an offer.

"How would the three of you like to come work for me?"

* * *

**I couldn't forget about Dusclops, now could I :)**

**UPDATE: Due to technical issues, despite the snow day, the new chapter of Ash's Ladder will be delayed until... it's not delayed. But do not fret, the chapter is written, completed, and I'm actually satisfied with the end results. Also, I've got another surprise around the corner :)  
**


	6. Chapter 6: Making plans

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**YAY! After two days of delays, I finally could upload this chapter. This is my shortest chapter yet, but I'm actually more satisfied with the end results this time. Also, check my channel soon for a surprise :)**

**R&R I suppose**

* * *

"How would the three of you like to come work for me?"

The trio was speechless, while Misty and Brock grew a look on their face akin to Ed Woodward in The Wicker Man. Pikachu was so shocked, he fainted, and his fat body body fell off of Brock's shoulder, and landed on the ground with a soft thud.

Did he really just speak those words? Why? Why them? After all they've done? They were stalkers, thieves, defilers, profiteers, and attempted murderers, something the poor yellow mouse on the ground recalls all too well. Not to mention, they were selfish, vain, cowardly, and incompetent. Getting past the moral ambiguities of hiring them, what use would they be?

The truth was, Ash knew that Misty and Brock wouldn't be traveling with him forever. They they would decide to pursue their own dreams seriously, or their families would need their help, or something would happen, and they would need to leave. Like it or not, Ash knew he needed someone to manage him. He realized his shortcomings, and knew what he needed to cover his own ass. As for the Rocket's ability? They may have never been able to capture Pikachu, but they sure did a good job of keeping up with him, and, really, how much effort did it take to wake up a 19-year old, compared to dealing with all those complex machines they've used in the past?

The ex-Rockets, however, were confused. Understandibly so, see as they never, ever imagined that their most hated enemy (next to Cassidy and Bob) would actually offer them a job, ecspecially at their time of most need. What was worse, they were actually considering it! Of course, they had apprehensions of their own. Their ex-boss stated they would be executed if caught bothering the twerp ever again- did this count? Also, while the black-haired brat seemed willing to forgive and forget, he's not the only one to hold a grudge against the trio. What if the others weren't so compassionate? There was also the issue of their own ability. He had yet to mention what this job will entail to them, and the trio was well aware of their ineptitude. They were frightened of what would happen if they couldn't perform to his standards, and they were fired, and Giovanni kept his promise.

After a moment, the three criminals formed a cirlce, and had a hushed discussion amongst themselves that lasted for a minute, to weigh the pros and cons. Finally, James turned around.

"What would we be doing?"

* * *

May walked into the Pokemon Mart, eyes already bloodshot, and wandered arond the shop in search of essentials. At the forefront, she picked up 10 Paralyze Heals, and around 20 Super Potions. The brunette walked to the back to pick up some Antidotes, when the automatic doors slid open. May neglected to notice, too enveloped in her grocery shopping.

Ash and his gang walked inside, the events of the past half-hour resolved, with the same goal as May: gathering travel supplies. Misty waked to the front row of the store to pick up some Burn Heals, while Brock went off in search of food he could store easily take with him. It was a long way to Celadon City, but Brock knew that he could probably find some food along the way. Ash, of course, had other designs. He strolled to the coolers, and eyes a 24-pack of Natural Light that was calling to him. He, of course, wasn't old enough to actually buy it, but he traveled with people who were, and used this advantage whenever he could. He turned around to look for Brock, when he stopped short, almost bumping into someone who was bending over to pick up some wine coolers. He took a while to stare, and realise this was the same person he had bumped into 2 hours ago, in the lobby of the Saffron Hotel.

Ash deepened hs voice, "Excuse me, young lady, but are you old enough to be purchasing those?"

May looked up, ready to tell the man off, when she saw who it really was.

"Oh my god, Ash!"

"Hey May, twice in one day. Isn't that weird?

"Yeah, that is weird." She nodded.

"So, what are you doing picking up wine coolers, anyway?"

May's smile dropped, "Oh, I, uh, I had a really bad day."

"Oh, I'm sorry. What happened?"

A spacey look overcast May's eyes fo a second, then she refocused on Ash.

"Uh, Drew's leaving us to go to Cerulean City." She lied. She didn't want to tell him she just had an abortion.

"Oh, why aren't you going with him?"

"He wants to be alone with his new boyfriend."

"Oh, that makes sense." May told Ash about Drew's lifestyle in the hotel room, and it didn't bother Ash.

It was quiet for a second, then Ash spoke up, "So you decided to go to Fucshia City after all?"

"Yeah, the three of us are going to go to Celadon City, so we can take Cycling Road, which will cut our travel time down by a lot. Also, Dawn and Zoey really want to visit Celadon Mall."

A smile grew across Ash's face, "Celadon City? That's interesting. My next two Gym Battles are in Celadon and Fuschia."

May widened her stare. "Really?!"

Ash nodded, "Yep, Erika and Koga, although Koga's in the Elite Four now, so I don't know who's replaced him."

May, of course, knew what Ash was impling, "Ash, stop beating around the bush. Just ask me already and get it over with. You already know my answer."

Ash smiled coyly, "Well, if you already know the question and the answer, what's the point of me saying it?"

But May knew how to grab him by the balls, metaphorically, " 'Cause if you don't ask me, my answer might change."

Ash chuckled, "OK, you win." He cleared his throat, "May, would you and your friends like to travel with me?"

The brunette put her hand against her chin, pretending to mull it over. She dragged this on for a couple of seconds, then she took her hand off, and gave the raven-haired trainer a smile.

"Well, I'll have to discuss it with everyone else, but I'm sure they'll say the same thing: yes."

Ash chucked again. Whoever this new May was, Ash liked her.

"OK, I'll tell the other guys, and we'll meet up in your hotel lobby around 6:00-ish. See ya then!"

" 'Kay. Bye." May took her wine coolers, pulled out an obviously fake ID-card, and walked off. As she walked away, Ash notice how fantastic her ass looked in those low-rise jeans.


	7. Chapter 7: Breaking plans

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Alright, I've been kinda lazy lately. You can blame Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire, or Stargate SG-1, but ultimately it's my fault.**

**This chapter probably has the closest thing to a sex scene you'll get in this series.  
**

* * *

"Do what now?" Zoey awkwardly questioned.

"I said Ash invited the three of us to travel with him to Celadon and Fuschia."

Zoey was still getting used to the fact that Drew had left an hour ago (which May had missed), and now this bombshell was dropped on her. Five people. Five extra people! Zoey felt cheated. She and Dawn should have at least gotten a vote on the matter. If there was, she would have definitely said no. Truth be told, she didn't like Ash. No, that wasn't entirely true. She simply felt threatened by the trainer. She saw the way her blunette angel eyed him longingly while in Sinnoh, cheering for him, defending him from that guy with the purple hair. Zoey put on a smiling face, but deep down, she couldn't stand it when she was like that with someone else.

Dawn was also flabbergasted, but most definitely not for the same reason. Dawn always suspected in the back of her mind that she would see Brock and Ash again, and she had met Misty before and got along fine with the redhead. No, what surprised her was May's news about Jessie and James, that they would be joining the gang. Had Ash lost his mind? They've done so much to make his life miserable, all in the name of self-profit, and he was going to offer them shelter? Forgive and forget, just like that? No, she wasn't sure she could be so forgiving.

An awkward silence permeated the room, until May continued.

"Um, Dawn, do we still have the key to Drew's room?"

Zoey replied, "Yeah, he gave it for us to turn in. I've got it right hear." She pulled it out of her right pocket. "Why?"

"Because Ash said he doesn't have a place to stay, and he was wondering if the five of them could crash here until we leave tomorrow."

Dawn blinked, pondering how incredibly convenient it was of them to still have the key with them. Then, her brain picked up a hiccup in the plan.

"Wait, there are only four hotel rooms between the eight of us. So, now all of a sudden we're going to have to share?"

May nodded, "Yes, I was thinking that we could discuss an arrangement for the eight of us, and when everyone got here, we could make everything finite."

The two ladies agreed, and May gave her thoughts first.

"Okay, so I was thinking we could do a boy/boy, girl/girl pairing for each room, except there are five girls, and three guys. Maybe Misty and I could share one room, then James and Brock, then Zoey and Jessie, then Dawn and Ash."

Zoey perked up at the last pairing, "Wait a minute, no no no, Dawn is not sleeping next to Ash!"

May and Dawn looked at her inquisitively, both oblivious to her apprehension.

Dawn questioned her friend, "What's wrong with me sleeping next to Ash, Zoey?"

Zoey, realizing the repercussions of her outburst, blushed slightly.

"It's just, well, I've...heard things about Ash, about his habits. They say he...gets around, and that he like younger girls best. I don't want you doing something you'll regret the next night." In truth, Zoey was just making things up. As much as she loathed to admit it, Ash seemed like a pretty straight arrow, but Zoey, well aware of Dawn's old crush, could be very persuasive when she wanted. Luckily, Dawn was also kind of gullible, and she bought it.

"Well, I guess when you put it like that, maybe I should sleep next to someone else." She mulled it over in her head, thinking about who she could trust.

Zoey couldn't control herself, "How about...you and I share a room?"

Now, Dawn and May were a little surprised at the redhead's suggestion. May was about to say something, when Dawn cut her off.

"Sure Zoey, I'd love to sleep with you."

Zoey blush a little more at the way her crush phrased that sentence, but after the shock of it, she smiled and nodded.

May interrupted her moment, "Uh, okay, that's settled, but there's still a problem. Where is Ash going to sleep?"

The two Sinnoh natives broke their awkward gaze and stared at her, with Zoey suppressing more than a hint of annoyance at the brunette's actions. In a flash of pettiness, she thought of an evil plan.

"Why not in the same room as you, May?"

May's eyed flew wide open at her friend's boldness, "Bu-but didn't you say you didn't trust him in the same room as Dawn? How is it different with me?"

"Well, no offense May, but you're kinda the same way."

May's eye winced slightly.

"Zoey's right, May. You do get around a lot."

"Maybe so, but that hardly justifies us two being in the same bed together. If anything, it's all the more reason for us not to! And I am not a whore!"

Dawn could sense that her friend's defensiveness, and acted to quell her, "No one is saying your a whore, May, but it's just..we don't fully trust Team Rocket being in the same room as us, and we think maybe they should have a room for themselves, so they don't try something. And, be honest, Brock and Misty would not be comfortable in the same bed as Ash, but you...go to bed with strange men all the time. And you've been known to exhibit self-control in the past, when you really want to, so why not now?"

May still wasn't convinced on the matter. In fact, she was even madder at Dawn's back-handed complements. Right when she was about to scream her head off though, someone sneaked up behind her.

"I think that's a fantastic idea."

The three girls turned around to see that the five people they were discussing the fates of had joined them. Ash grinned.

* * *

May told everyone that she was tired, and went to bed early, if you can call 10:00 early. Of course, it wasn't necessarily a lie; more of a half-truth. May was emotionally drained, she's been strung out all day, and she really needed to relax by herself, at least for a while. On top of everything that happened today, she now was being forced to sleep next to her former teacher, the man who made her what she is today for better or for worse. May didn't think she could do what she did this afternoon next month, although in the back of her mind she knew she was safe. Still, she knew what alcohol did to some people, and while she had yet to do it imbibed, she came close a few times. Also, she had to admit, Ash had turned into a much sexier man since they last saw each other. He stopped wearing that stupid hat, and flannel complimented him well, and made him look gruff.

May was confused, stressed, and a little depressed, so she followed through with the plan she set in the Pokemart.

She looked at the bottle to see what flavor it was. Strawberry, her favorite.

* * *

Meowth popped his paws, feeling slightly on edge and cantankerous. His say in the matter didn't even amount to anything, that was what really pissed him off. On the street, right before that twerp took pity on them, Meowth was taken aback that his partners would even entertain his offer. When they accepted, even though he quietly objected, the cat could feel bile forming in the back of his throat. He winced at the image forming in his mind, taking orders from that black-haired wannabe and his fat litte rat, who they've tried so long to kidnap. All that work, all the effort they put into become criminal lords, undone from a single act of kindness.

More than just anger, he was confused. How could a bum like that twerp possibly be the offspring of his beloved boss? It was horrible. Not only did they welcome each other with open arms, but the twerp actually inspired him to quit Team Rocket. Meowth's heart broke. Meowth then imagined what the gang would be like if life played out differently, and that twerp became the heir of Team Rocket. Truly, it would have been Ragnarok.

Meowth's eyes began to twitch as he eyed that overweight light socket across the lobby. He refused to accept this. No, he would make a plan. He'd capture that Pikachu all by himself, without the help of those rainbow-haired traitors. Then, the boss would welcome him with open arms. He'd come to his senses, get back to Team Rocket, and ditch that smelly Persian, along with that redheaded bitch he called an ex-wife. Yes, Meowth was sure it would all work out in the end

* * *

_Wow_, Zoey thought, _I can't believe this is actually happening!_

She sat on the hotel bed, staring at the white ceiling dreamily. Everyone headed to there rooms around midnight or so, and Dawn was in the bathroom, doing her business. Zoey could not believe her lapse in control truly paid off in this way. She was finally going to sleep in the same bed as her dream girl! Of course, it wasn't going to lead anywhere tonight, but beggars can't be choosers, and it was better than another lonely night with just her right had for comfort.

Dawn finished her business, and walked in the room wearing nothing but a blue t-shirt and a pair of green panties. Zoey broke her stare off with the ceiling, and glanced at her. She began to wonder what those cotton underpants felt like, and crossed her legs in embarrassment. God, she was lonely.

Dawn didn't take notice, "Well, *yawn*, I'm bushed. I think I'll hit the hay."

Zoey freed herself from her daydream long enough to notice the blunette reach under her shirt and undo her training bra, freeing her still-developing breast. Zoey's eyes never left the article as Dawn threw it on the ground carelessly, not realizing how this simple act fueled Zoey's imagination. Zoey counted her lucky stars she didn't talk in her sleep.

The lights switched off, and the two women slept on opposite sides of the bed. In her unconscious state, Zoey rolled over and hugged Dawn's stomach.

* * *

Waves of passion coursed through her body, as May felt a new member join her that night.

One thing she noticed was how quiet he was, never making a sound through the whole ordeal. She never was comfortable around silence, so she overcompensated a bit with vocalization of her own. Nothing dirty, but perhaps a bit overkill. Also, she was curious as to why his nose was bleeding. Liquor can make fools of us all, and her bleary eyesight was such that all she could recognize about him was his raven hair, still wild and untamed after all these years.

Yes, when they had started traveling, she had developed quite the schoolgirl crush on him. But she was young, and honestly anyone would have felt the same. After all, she was this shy, innocent young coordinator, and he was this big bad expert who took her under his wing. It was understandable, and after a few years apart, it passed.

Tonight wasn't about that. This was about her being vulnerable and in need, and him being there for him. She made the first move, basically shoving her tits in his face, so it wasn't like he was exploiting her. She rode on top of him like a Tauros, and even in her drunken haze, she enjoyed herself. Finally, both of them climaxed, and she rolled off of him as he fought to peel off his condom. Truth be told, she hated condoms, didn't like the plasticy feel of them, but she considered them a necessary evil, and only went without when she had to.

There was no talking, no good night wishing, no apologies, no thank yous, tonight wasn't about that. All that could be dealt with tomorrow. May certainly wasn't in a hurry.

* * *

**Hey guys, if you like this story, head over to my channel and check out Rising Zan: Johnny no more! So far, no one has read it yet, so I figure I might as well advertise.**


	8. Chapter 8: Like buddies, but better

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Alright, finally, the end of the introduction. Warning, from how I have this story planned out (and it's essentially 50/50 as far as foresight and improv). It's gonna drag out for a long time. But don't worry true believers! Everything, from Ash's drug addiction to Dusclops' racism, has a point in this story. It might even have some stuff you would never expect :)**

**Oh, and Gerbilfw, I am the writer, so Meowth's thoughts are essentially my thoughts. That thought being that Pikachu is a FATTY FATTY FAT FAT!!!!**

**R&R I suppose  
**

* * *

An audible groan escaped her throat as Dawn transferred into consciousness.

She looked at her alarm clock. 7:30. It was set to go off in another hour. Dawn was faced with the very difficult decision of either getting up, possibly disturbing her bedmate Zoey, dressing herself while half-asleep, and sitting in the lobby watching TV for a boring amount of time, or going back to sleep for an hour.

As it turned out, Dawn didn't find the decision so difficult.

Dawn didn't really sleep as much as she closed her eyes and let her mind wander until the alarm rang. She let her mind reel at what was happening today. The group was finally leaving Saffron City today. Dawn made it no secret that she despised the city, from its pollution, to its awkward boundaries, to the overall dingy and mutated feeling the city gave her. Needless to say, she was glad to be leaving. The changing dynamic of the group, however, concerned her.

Ash was joining them. Truthfully, she wasn't as concerned about Team Rocket as she thought she would be. She was worried about how having a trainer would almost certainly disrupt the flow they've built up over three years of being together. She remembered when she was traveling with Ash, and how it would always alternate between her contest and his battles. The problem was, while Ash could get his badges at any time during the season, contest would only pop up for a short time. Ash was so impatient to get to his battles that sometimes Dawn almost missed a contest. Eventually, despite her feelings for him, she grew tired of it and started traveling with Zoey. Not only that, but she could tell Ash didn't feel the same way about her, and she didn't want to be around him. It made her too depressed.

Now he was back. It was strange. After two years of pining over him, when he came back, she looked at him and felt...nothing. She didn't even feel any sexual attraction toward him. On the contrary, his tattered clothes and scruffy, relaxed face almost made her want to vomit at first glance. Honestly, who thought it was a good idea to dress like a '40s trainhopper? He also had a strange aura of delinquency and perverseness that made Dawn uncomfortable. She wasn't very comfortable being around him, and she wasn't sure how long it would be before she followed Drew's example.

The alarm went off. She opened her eyes in a groggy manner and slapped the snooze button so hard it hurt her hand. She rolled over to find Zoey, still sleeping, and uncomfortably close. Dawn then became conscious of Zoey's hand placement, and her heart skipped a beat.

* * *

"Thanks for the coffee, Ash." May took a sip.

"No problem." Ash sat down next to her and turned on the TV. May drank half of the coffee before setting it on the adjourning table, laying back down, and nursing her sore forehead. Now she understood why drunk sex got such a bad rap: the aftermath was worse than usual. Ash surfed through the channels before finally settling on a news program that May wasn't remotely interested in. Ash was a good friend. Not only was he an animal in bed, but he was considerate enough to keep the volume down. May just wondered where he got all that energy from. It didn't seem natural.

May saw that the clock read 9:32, and figured she should probably get dressed. She started to sit up, and quickly found out that was beyond her capabilities. Resting her hand back over her head, she once again remembered how good of a friend Ash was.

"Ash." She tried to make her voice as pitiful as possible.

"Hm?" He turned to her.

"Can you help me find my clothes?"

"Sure, May." He eyed her bra and gave it to her. He pitied his friend. Hangovers suck, and he felt partially responsible for her predicament. His own head throbbed a little bit from coming off a coke high, but he had gotten used to it, and he knew that keeping busy kept his mind off of it and made it hurt less. He found her pants at the foot of the bed, her top draped across the blinds, and her socks and shoes next to the TV. Try as he might, he couldn't see her panties anywhere.

"Hey May, any idea where your underwear is?"

The brunette shrugged, "I'm not too concerned about it. Hey, can you see what else is on? I'm not really into current events, and I think The Price is Right is almost on."

Ash looked at the clock, "May, it's 8:40. Price is Right doesn't come on til 10."

May looked back at the clock. It read 8:43. Her mind was playing tricks on her. She groaned.

"Fuckin' hell, it's not even 10 yet? I'm goin back to sleep. G'night" She took her shoes off and rolled over on the mattress.

Ash nodded her goodnight, and went back to watching The Early Show. He reached down to scratched his testicles, and found out where May's panties were.

* * *

Pikachu stretched his back, waking up in the same bedroom as Misty and Brock. He gave a big yawn, and sat his fat yellow but back down on the carpet. Misty and Brock were still sleeping, finally comfortable enough with each other to share the same bed. Pikachu hoped that Lucy didn't get jealous. She and Brock make a cute couple.

The Mouse Pokemon's mind randomly flashed to last night, downstairs at the lobby, and he remembered the eerie, stalker-esque look Meowth gave him. He could feel all the contempt the cat felt for him in those large stone eyes, and Pikachu knew that whatever was going to culminate later on down the road, it would not end well for one of them.

Now Pikachu was somewhat afraid, and found he could not go back to sleep. He looked at the clock. 6:58. He rummaged through Misty's purse, looking for a hotel key.

* * *

11:00. Time to start the party.

May was obviously still dizzy from last night, so she just sat quietly on the couch, ready to pass out any moment. Ash caught this, and decided to put his new workhorses to use.

"James. Jessie."

The 20-something tools gave goofy, over-emphasized salutes. "Yes, sir!"

Ash grimaced, "Not so loud, dammit. Look, you see May over there?"

They turned there heads to the neighboring couch, and saw the 16-year old twerpette.

"What about her, boss?"

"I want you two to hang around her and make sure he doesn't pass out or hurt herself. She's kinda fucked up from last night."

Jessie giggled, "Yes, we could hear what you were doing last night."

Ash shot her a disapproving look, and she stopped.

"Yes, well, just take care of her, okay?"

They saluted again, "Yes, sir!"

Ash winced again, "I said not so loud, goddammit. Meowth, come with me. I've got a job for you." With that he and the cat walked to the others.

The two turned toward their new charge, anxious to prove themselves to their new boss.

* * *

The five that were left discussed the day's plan's for a short time, and they all concurred that, by the end of the day, they would be leaving Saffron for Celadon. Brock needed to go out to gather some more supplies for the group, and Ash sent Meowth with him. Misty was annoyed that the hotel kept a no-smoking policy, and stepped outside to light one up, with Dawn going out to keep her company. All that was left in the circle of furniture was Ash and Zoey.

Ash grinned at the redhead. She was a little butch, but she had nice legs, and a pair of boobs that looked perky enough.

"So, Zoey, how long have you..."

"Zip it, Ketchum," Zoey glared, "Everyone on the floor could hear what you were doing to May. How could you? She was drunk, and not in her right mind, and you just took advantage of her!"

Now Ash furrowed his brow slightly, "Hey, she came on to me.."

"Save it. I know your game now. I swear, if you ever try to take advantage of Dawn, I'll rip your throat out. Understand?"

"Excuse me," retorted Ash, "Since when is my sex life any of your business?"

"Since you had sex with my friend. May might be a slut, but Dawn's still a virgin, and her first time deserves to be with someone special, not from some dude who looks like he flunked out of high school and just wants to hit it and quit it."

Ash noticed something in Zoey's rant, and, despite his defensiveness, he inquired her.

"Why are you so worried about Dawn?"

Zoey was taken aback for a second, but retorted fast enough that Ash didn't notice.

"B-because she's my friend, and I don't like it when my friends start dating sleazeballs. May might be a lost cause, but I'll be damned if you get your clutches on Dawn." Her blunette angel.

Ash, of course, wasn't really dating May. Neither one of them were ready for a relationship, and, that morning in the hotel room, they mutually agreed to just be "sex buddies". At this suggestion, Ash heard trumpets play in the background.

Trumpets or not, Ash's love life was still none of Zoey's concern, regardless if they were traveling together or not. Obviously, something else was going on besides protecting a friend. He was about to question her some more, when Misty and Dawn walked in.

Dawn looked at the two, "What were you guys talking about?"

Zoey relaxed, and took her eyes off Ash, "Nothing."

Dawn glanced at Ash, who repeated Zoey's response. Dawn shrugged and sat next to her butch friend. Misty, not really convinced, decided to question Ash later, and sat down next to him.

* * *

5:00. Everyone was prepared and ready to go. This was the culmination of the events of two days. If they didn't leave now, they wouldn't be able to cover more that a few miles before it got dark. Jessie, James, and Meowth were carrying all the supplies that would hopefully last for at least a month. Afterward, they could forage the roads or bum off of another traveler.

Ash, Pikachu, Misty, Brock, Jessie, James, Meowth, May, Dawn, and Zoey. The gang, now finally 10 all together, stood at the borders of Saffron City, glad to finally be moving on.

* * *

**Okay, fair warning, the next chapter is going to take place two months from now, in Celadon City.**

**And, one more time, check out Rising Zan: Johnny no more.  
**


	9. Chapter 9: Making plans again

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**My shortest chapter yet, right after writing my longest in Underage Marriage. Forgive me, but I'm tired, and I need this mostly to set up most of the continuing story.**

**If you want to write about what happens between this chapter and last, be my guest, just make sure to acknowledge my work, and try not to change how I've set the characters.  
**

** R&R I suppose**

* * *

"Excuse me boss, but when are we checking into a hotel? My hands are killing me!"

James had been given the dubious honor of carrying Brock's cooking utensils, industrial-sized to compensated for the expanded group numbers, and the blue-haired workhorse was understandably fatigued, along with Jessie, who carried all of the medical supplies, clothes, and other assorted luggage. After the first month of work for Ash, they were beginning to reevaluate their job terms. Not that they would tell Ash, of course.

Celadon City was much cleaner than Saffron, a fact Dawn enjoyed perhaps a little too much. The buildings weren't particularly tall, but they shined brightly in the sun, and the air had an almost tasty quality to it. Everything sparkled with a vibrant aura of purity, untouched by the uncaring girth of industry. Perhaps that is what gave it its nickname: The Virgin City. Ash was determined to find that out personally. In fact, the one and only blemish in this angelic concrete landscape is the Celadon Game Corner, a local casino run by Team Rocket, that was inexplicably open.

Ash glanced at the garish building and thought,_ Dad must not have gotten around to that yet._

Misty tilted her head, "Ash, you okay?"

Ash snapped out of his trance, "Oh, yeah. I was just wondering why the Game Corner was still open is all."

Brock interjected, "Well, can we not worry about that now? We need to find a hotel for the night."

"Yeah," May said, "and not a cheap one either! I haven't been getting good sleep lately!"

Dawn snickered, "Gee, I wonder why?" She gestured to Ash.

May shot her a dirty look, but said nothing. Dawn was smart enough to not press the matter further.

Almost every night during the two months the gang of 10 have been together, Ash and May would share a tent, trying to keep as quiet as possible during their...midnight activities. The only notable nights they didn't is whenever May helped Dawn catch a Doduo, and when Ash lost a battle against a random trainer and a wayward Ember burned his arm. It was a miracle May didn't get pregnant again, as Ash had a condom break at least four times.

Ash looked around, "Alright, lets look for a hotel. Brock, do you still have your Pokenav with you?'

Brock shook his head, "No. Remember, it fell in the river three weeks ago, and we couldn't find it."

Ash hung his head, "Alright." He addressed the whole group. "Does anyone else have one they could use?"

No one spoke up. Ash slapped his forehead.

"Alright. I guess we'll have to look around for a suitable place."

Jessie, James, and Meowth groaned, lamenting the thought of more walking and having to carry everything, despite the fact that Meowth was carrying nothing.

"And we should find one near the mall." Dawn added.

The workhorses groaned again. The mall was in the center of the city, and they knew they would have to carry anything they bought.

Ash ignored them, "Well, let's get movin'. We've all got things we wanna do today before my gym battle tomorrow, and the sooner the better."

The tensome more along. May sneaked over to Ash and whispered in his ear.

"Don't forget to buy a new pack of rubbers. I don't wanna be carrying around a little you in my belly for nine months, bastard."

Ash waved her off. He'd worry about that later. For now, finding a place to rest his feet was more important. That little yellow mouse was even heavier than he looked.

He'd have to work out a diet plan with him later.

* * *

Thankfully they found a hotel suitable to everyone's requirements, called the Don Cassius. Unfortunately, it only had five rooms left unbooked, and they were all egregiously overpriced. Pooling there money together, they could only afford three of the rooms, and that was only by cutting into the girls shopping money quite a lot. Apparently, even though none of them had ever heard of it, this hotel was very famous, and it was during the summer price hike that regularly went on to milk tourist for all their worth. Dawn was embittered by her lack of funds, and began to feel like this city wasn't as pure as it claimed to be.

Zoey went over to comfort her secret crush, as she sat on the lobby couch with her arms folded and her head down.

"Aw, Dawn. I'm sorry you don't have any money left."

Dawn groaned, dejected from Zoey reminding her of her plight.

Zoey rubbed her back, noticing she wasn't wearing a bra under that thin long-sleeved shirt.

"Tell you what, I'll buy you something special when we go there. My treat."

Dawn looked up slightly, "Really?"

Zoey nodded. Dawn immediately perked up.

"Wow, Zoey. You don't have to do that."

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm happy to do it, and I hate seeing you so sad."

Dawn was about to thank her, when Ash popped up.

"Hey you two, come on. We're goin out somewhere."

Zoey tilted her head, "Right now? But I thought we weren't going to Celadon Mall until tomorrow."

Ash shook his head, "We're not goin to the mall, we're goin somewhere else."

"Where?" Dawn said.

"Somewhere special."

"Where?" Zoey inquired suspiciously.

"You'll see when we get there. Quit asking so many questions." Ash replied curtly.

Zoey shot him a dirty look, but got up, along with Dawn. Ash and the two girls walked over to the others, who were standing in a semi-circle next to the door.

Misty turned to Ash, "So, what's the plan for today, ringmaster."

Ash lowered his eyebrows, "Well, Misty, today you don't have to do anything. So if your going make your little comments, you can just go stand over there." He pointed to the front desk."

"I'll behave." Misty rolled her eyes, and muttered "Asshole" under her breath.

Ash continued, "Jessie, James, I want you to take this," he handed them a wad of cash, "and go check us into our rooms. And don't try to steal it, or I will sick Pikachu on you." Pikachu growled domineeringly.

The trio, well aware of the fat mouse's potency, replied with a frightened "Yes, sir." and walked to the front desk. Ash turned to May.

"May, you, Dawn, Zoey, and I are going for a little walk across town. There's something important I need to do, an it'll involve you three."

May placed a hand on her hip, "What is it?"

"I'll tell you when we get there. Brock."

"Hmm?" Brock was barely paying attention.

"I've got a list of special things I need, but I don't have time to get them today. I need you to take care of it." Ash handed him a wrinkled piece of paper.

Brock sighed, lamenting his new position as honorary grocery shopper, "Can't you get Wingus and Dingus to do it instead?"

Ash turned to them, "Maybe your right." He whistled loudly.

"Jessie!"

Jessie turned, after arguing with the man at the front desk, and ran over to her new boss. "Yes?"

Ash snatched the list from Brock's fingers, "I need you to go shopping for everything on this list, got it?"

Jessie took the list and nodded, and then headed out the door. Ash turned to Brock."

"Soooooooooo, I guess I don't have anything for... Oh, yes! Uh, go check on Erika and see when she's free for a gym battle. That needs to be taken care of, so you better control yourself, okay buddy?" Ash grinned/

Brock's eye begin to twitch, "For the last time, I don't do that anymore!"

Ash chuckled, "Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyway, do that for me." Ash turned, but Brock pressed his palm against Ash's chest.

"What do you say?"

Ash cocked his eyebrow, "What?"

Misty shook her head, "He mean, you could be a little more polite about it and say please for once."

Ash rolled his eyes, "Sorry. Will you please go do that for me?"

Brock removed his hand. "Fine, smartass." He walked out.

Ash gestured to May and the other coordinators to follow him, and they walked out. Misty shook her head, trying to remember the days when her friend wasn't a callous ass.

* * *

**Shoutout in the next chapter if you can guess where Ash and co are headed.**


	10. Chapter 10: Breaking plans again

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**This chapter is LESS THAN 1000 WORDS!!! God, I cannot bring myself to do anything. Anyway, here's the big reveal, and a bit more Appealshipping teasing. I'll get back to Advanceshipping soon.  
**

* * *

Dawn stared at the fake ID Ash had handed her. It had her picture from two years ago that May had given him, and it said her name was Elliot Reed. The four of them were still walking through Celadon, and Dawn had some questions burning in her head that she wanted answered.

"Ash?" She tilted her head up at him. He didn't respond.

"Ash?" She repeated, a bit more forcefully. Still no response.

"Ketchum!" Zoey practically screamed at the trainer, causing his pudgy mouse buddy to wince in surprise.

"What?" Ash displayed his annoyance at both women.

"Dawn has something she wants to say to you." Zoey scowled. She then turned to Dawn and winked.

"Thank you," Dawn blushed, "I just have some questions for you."

Ash groaned, "I told you, everything will be clear once we get to where we're going."

"And just where are we going, exactly?"

"You'll find out once we get there."

Dawn stopped, "Tell us where we're going right now, or I'm going back to the hotel!"

Zoey nodded, "Me too!"

May sighed and put her hand on her hip, "Ash, I can tell they're serious. Just tell us already so we can stop arguing."

Ash cracked his neck in annoyance. Dawn and Zoey turned to leave, and Ash turned around to them.

"Alright" Ash yelled, defeated, "I'll tell you already. We're going to the Game Corner."

Zoey turned back sharply, eyes wide in surprise, "The casino?! But we're way too young to gamble!"

Ash pointed at Zoey's hand, "That's why you've got fake IDs"

Zoey looked at her laminated card, which said Danni Sullivan on it, and then looked back at Ash.

"Why are we going to a casino?"

Ash closed his eyes, somewhat annoyed that he would have to explain something so obvious, "Well, the price of the hotel has left us dangerously overbudget, and since my sponsor's check won't be coming for another three weeks, and I have no idea about yours, this seems to be the only possible way to make up the difference."

"But won't that risk us losing what money we have?" Dawn inquired. Zoey nodded in agreement.

"Do you see any alternative?" Ash retorted.

"He's right, guys." May interjected, "If we don't do this, we probably won't have any money left to make the trip to Fuchsia, unless we stay here long enough to miss the contest, which would make the past two months pointless."

Zoey and Dawn shifted uncomfortably, not able to come up with a counterargument.

"Well, I'm up for it." May said while holding her ID, which said Lucy Bennett, "What choice do we have?"

"Fine," Zoey exhumed in defeat. The foursome resumed their stroll, with visibly no difference except for Zoey, who was jumpy, afraid she would get caught and sent to prison and never see her bluenette angel again.

Zoey felt a hand grasp her own, and jumped slightly, and looked to see it was Dawn's hand.

"Zoey," Dawn said, "I'm afraid. I don't know anything about gambling. Will you help me out when we get there?"

Zoey blushed slightly, "S-Sure, Dawn. Don't worry about it."

Dawn smiled and squeezed Zoey's hand slightly before letting go. Ash looked back to see this spectacle, and smiled, finally privy to Zoey's actions in Saffron two months ago.

* * *

In the bushes, a lone shuffle was barely audible as a pair of sharp claws attempted to push two branches out of the way, so that the owner of the paws could get a good view of his target. The golden coin on his forehead gleamed as he eyed the yellow Pikachu on Ash's shoulder

_A casino, eh? _The stalker grinned to himself, _That sounds like the perfect place to put my plan into action._

* * *

**The casino scene will happen next chapter, and I promise it will be much longer than this.**

**I will also update For Whom the Bell Tolls for you action fans out there, though I don't seem to flock many of those. ;)  
**


	11. Chapter 11: All about the money, part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, or anything by Pink Floyd**

**For the record, I don't know anything about casinos. I'm trying my best to sidestep my ignorance of certain world happenings, whilst trying not to affect the story so much. Anyway, slight songfic at the end. Guess what song I'm using!**

**R&R I suppose  
**

* * *

Dawn stared up at the garishly colored arch over the doorway. It was a banana-like yellow, while the rest of the building was a sharp contrast of orange and purple. It reminded her of sherbet. She usually loved sherbet, but right now she was so nervous, she probably couldn't even keep any down.

Zoey latched on to Dawn's arm, and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I've never seen you so nervous before, Dawn. The whole time I've known you, you've always been so sure of yourself. Are you really so worked up because you've never gambled before?"

Dawn turned to face her friend, "Well, that's a part of it. Mostly, It's because, I've never gone anything illegal before, and I'm nervous about what will happen if we get caught."

Zoey stopped smiling. That was a bold-faced lie, and she knew it. She had seen Dawn do plenty of illegal things in the time she's known her, perhaps not of this caliber, but clearly unlawful nonetheless. Zoey figured to confront it at a later time, but she wanted answers regardless.

Zoey took hold of Dawn's hand, and followed May and Ash into the casino. Dawn was happy that Zoey didn't press the matter any further. She didn't want to tell her the truth. At least, not yet.

* * *

The inside of the Game Corner wasn't any more toned down than the outside. The floor was carpeted with a diamond pattern, with greens and purples littering the diamonds, and a tan color filling in the gaps between. As a matter of fact, every square inch of the building looked like mixed sorbet, from the walls, to the slot machines, even the employees outfits.

Ash turned around, "Alright folks, get your cards out, we're gonna see how tight security is around here. Knowing Team Rocket as well as I do, I'm sure we'll be fine."

Ash whipped out his card and stuck it in front of the man at the front desk and smiled, "Hello, good sir."

"Hello." The balding man took the card from him and examined it.

Ash glanced back at the girls, and gave a smooth wink. However, the man holding Ash's card cleared his throat very loudly, and then spoke very curtly.

"I'm sorry sir, but you'll have to improve your forgery skills a bit more."

Ash stared at the man, "I'm sorry?"

"Yes, yes you are. I'm afraid this card is no good here." He attempted to tear it in half, but found the lamination too tough, "However, I will say that you did give it the old college try, my good sir."

Ash eyed the middle-aged man, "What makes you think it's a fake, exactly?"

"Because it says your name is John Dorian."

"And?"

"And my name is John Dorian."

Ash was slightly surprised by this, but he refused to show it, "So, haven't you ever met someone with the same name as you?"

The man pulled out an ID card from his wallet, one with his picture on it, "Yes, but I've never met someone with the same license number as mine."

Ash stepped away, clearly uncomfortable. He was afraid what the girls behind him would do to him for messing this up for them. This was his idea, after all. He hoped they would take sympathy on him. After all, how was he supposed to predict this shortcoming? He wasn't too sure of that, as he already saw his fat buddy Pikachu giving him dirty looks on his shoulder. If his best friend didn't sympathize with him, how could he expect May or Zoey to? Just when all hope seem lost, however, an angel appeared from nowhere and blessed him.

"John!" the angel barked angrily from a back room, "Just what do you think you're doing? Don't you know who this is?"

John turned around, but he didn't see the angel that Ash did. Instead he saw an angry fire-breathing demon. Both descriptions were correct and incorrect, depending on your perspective.

Dawn, May, Zoey, and Pikachu only saw a blond woman in her mid twenties, with her hair split into oversized braids, and wearing a female tuxedo, fitting for a casino employee. May and the girls didn't recognize her, but Ash and Pikachu recognized her well enough, and Pikachu had mixed feelings about their reunions.

Her real name was unknown, but she was known by almost everyone as Domino.

John Dorian drew back, but soon regained his composure, "I'm sorry, madam, but these hooligans..."

"Hooligans!" Domino screamed, visibly angry, "Where exactly do you get off calling the boss' son a 'hooligan', John?"

John Dorian's eyes shot open, "What?" He looked at Ash, "He's the boss' son?"

"Of course he is! Do you think I'm just saying that for my health, you dumbass!" Domino looked at Ash, and her expression changed into an apologetic one, "I'm terribly sorry about this, sir. Mr. Dorian isn't exactly our most amiable serviceman. I hope you don't take this back to your father."

Ash smiled, realizing being related to crime royalty had its advantages, "Don't worry about it. As long as we can get into this place without anybody raising a fuss," He glanced at John Dorian, "I don't think Dad has to know anything about this."

Domino smiled, "Wonderful. And don't you worry about a thing. I don't think anyone will have to be the wiser about the real age of you and your lovely escorts."

Ash nodded, and turned to the ladies in question, "Well girls, how does that sound?"

The three ladies' mouths were visibly agape in shock.

* * *

"Let me get this straight, your father is the leader of Team Rocket?"

The five of them, Pikachu included, stood outside the Game Corner entrance, still yet to partake in the fun to be had in this place. They found a bench across the street from the Game Corner, and sat there to question this newly discovered characteristic of the aspiring Pokemon Master. Ash sat on the bench, completely relaxed and unfazed by Zoey and Dawn's reactions. Dawn and Zoey stood over him, back to the street as well as the casino, while May simply leaned against a telephone pole, hands in her pockets, completely over her initial surprise.

In fact, May took the news much better than the other two. Dawn and Zoey didn't know Ash as intimately as May did, and while she never suspected such a bombshell, she reasoned that Ash's private life was his own business, and if he didn't want to share something like this with him, it was his own business. After all, she had some things in her life she didn't want just anybody to know, why should she expect everyone else to be an open book for her? Zoey and Dawn, however, had a different view on the matter.

Ash looked at them lazily, "Yeah."

Zoey was taken aback by how casual he was being about this, "Well, what do you have to say for yourself then?"

Ash cocked his eyebrow, "What do you mean 'say for myself'?

Zoey's mouth grew wider at his attitude, "I mean, explain why you didn't tell us?"

Ash grinned, " 'Cause you never asked?"

Zoey started losing her patience, "Oh yeah, like you would just tell us that you're the offspring of a criminal underlord."

"I would have. I was never trying to hide it. Misty and Brock know, and so do James and Jessie. If you would have asked them, they would have told you the same thing. I wasn't trying to keep it a secret, it's no skin off my ass if my dad's a crime boss. I can't exactly choose who my parents are, now can I?"

That shut Zoey up good, and she looked like she was just metaphorically gobsmacked. She shifted uncomfortably, slightly embarrassed at herself for attacking him.

"Besides, I've met him before, he's actually a really nice guy. If you met him, you'd probably like him too. He wants to quit Team Rocket, and he's getting back together with my mom."

May sat down next to Ash and put her arm around him, "That sounds great Ash. I'm happy for your mom."

Ash turned to her and smiled, "Thanks. They still don't know when they'll do it, though. They've mostly been, uh, celebrating." Ash tried to push the image of his father in a bathrobe out of his mind.

Dawn took a few steps closer to Ash, "Look Ash, we're sorry for attacking you like that. It was just that, we were so surprised, we didn't know what to think about it. Right, Zoey?"

Zoey looked up with a solemn look in her eye, "Yeak, I'm sorry."

Ash waved his hand, "Don't worry, guy. It's no big deal. Let's just go back inside and enjoy the perks of criminal royalty."

Everyone chuckle at his joke, and May stood up and walked across the street. Dawn followed her, and as Zoey was about to, Ash said something to her.

"Say Zoey, can you come over here for a minute? I want to ask you something."

Zoey turned to him with a surprised look on her face, but obliged and sat down next to him.

"What do you want?"

Ash closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Zoey, I want to ask you a question, and I want you to be straight with me?"

"Uh, Alright. What is it?"

Ash opened his eyes and looked at her, "Are you a lesbian?"

* * *

After a few moments of searching, May finally found a free slot machine she liked, and sat down at it. She placed the bucket in front of the coin opening, and reached into her purse for some loose change. She put the change in the slot machine, leaned back in the chair, crossed her legs, and pulled the lever. The three wheels started spinning, and a large cluster of lights attached to the machine started to flash spontaneously

_Money _

_Get away _

_Get a good job with good pay and you okay_

Nothing. May went back in her purse for some more change, and noticed, across the aisle, a skinny guy with a blond crew cut and a black t-shirt staring at her legs. Once he realized she saw him, he looked away nervously, but couldn't resist looking back. May and the guy locked eyes for a minute, and May smiled coyly before turning back to her slot machine and smoothly and slowly setting the coin inside the machine. She glanced back at him to see if he was watching. He was.

_Money _

_It's a gas _

_Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash_

Dawn was a fast learner. She quickly adapted to the odds of Craps so fast, Zoey was inclined to ask her if she had lied to her and had gambled before. It just wasn't natural for someone to adapt to a game so fast. Of course, she wasn't doing very well, but for a beginner, she was great. Besides, she reasoned, no one does very well at Craps.

_New car, Caviar, four-star daydream _

_Think I'll buy me a football team_

In truth, this was part of the secret that Dawn didn't want to tell Zoey. Dawn tired not to think about it as much as she could, but the memories eventually grew so painful, she had to excuse herself from the Craps table to go cry in a bathroom stall. Her father was a gambling addict, and once he had plunged his family so far into debt, they had to sell their house and all of their pokemon, and move out of Veilstone City. That wasn't enough, however, to pay off one particularly notorious loan shark. He found where they had moved to, in Twinleaf Town, and kidnapped Dawn's father. Two days later, he was found in the adjourning woods. At least, most of him was found. Dawn was five years old at the time, but she remembers it all too well.

_Money _

_Get back _

_I'll be all right Jack, keep your hands off my stack_

Zoey, suspecting her friend was hiding something and figuring the restroom was the perfect place to confront her about it, followed her to see what was wrong. She didn't expect to find her sobbing quietly in one of the stalls. Zoey thought that maybe she should leave her alone to deal with her problems, but felt compelled as Dawn's friend to at least ask her if she needed someone. Dawn was glad she did.

_Money _

_It's a hit _

_Don't give me that do-goody-good bullshit_

May decided to stop playing games. She thought the guy was cute enough, and he obviously thought the same thing about her. May got up, taking what little winnings she had, and walked in his direction. She didn't confront him, but she did brush his shoulder and gestured him to follow her. She took a quick glance in her purse to see if she had a condom, and was pleased to find one of Ash's spares. He was pretty big, so May hoped this new guy could match. She opened the men's restroom door and grabbed him by the shirt forcefully.

_I'm in the _

_hi-fidelity first-class traveling set _

_and I think I need a Lear jet_

"So, Domino, last time I saw you, you were one of Dad's most trusted elite agents. How did you end up being the manager of the Game Corner?"

Domino took a sip of her scotch, and gave him a smile across the circular table, "Well, as you probably alread know, your dad wants to pass the buck, so to speak, to his brother Raphael. Raph, being the stubborn hothead that he is,"

"So I've heard." Ash interjected.

Domino giggled, then continued what she was saying, "He doesn't think Giovanni should break the tradition that the oldest son of the last boss should lead until death. Raph actually suggested that, if Giovanni should give up the seat, it should go to you."

"Like that'll ever happen." Ash snorted.

"Yeah, that's just what the boss thinks. Your father is a very clever man, however, and he knows how to get what he wants. He came up with the idea that, by halting as much of Team Rocket's activities as possible, he could cut our revenue and strongarm Raphael into accepting his terms."

Ash laughed, "Wow. It's good to know Team Rocket's incompetence is only limited to Jessie and James."

The two shared a very harsh laugh over that comment. Afterwards, Ash realized his question still hadn't been answered.

"So, what does this have to do with you being here at the game corner?"

Domino took another sip of her scotch, "I was just getting to that. Well, apparently, the Game Corner has finally become more generally accepted among the populace of Celadon. Even though it's knowingly run by criminals, it was acquired through perfectly legal means, and makes a boisterous profit well within the law, even if it funds a crime syndicate. Your father realized that, if he closed this down, he would anger too many of his subordinates, and it would cause an internal war within Team Rocket. He's afraid that he won't escape with his life if that happens.

Ash nodded, "Yeah, that wouldn't kind of make the whole ordeal moot, not to mention upset Mom. I don't think I'd be too happy with it, either."

Domino nodded, and took another drink, "I am here to make sure the Game Corner doesn't make too much money, by spending it whenever I can. I do this by overpaying the staff, rigging machines to increase people's odds, redecorating the interior every once in a blue moon, and sometimes, if we're doing too well, just outright stealing it."

At this notion, Ash's eyes lit up as an idea formed in his head.

"Say Domino, how well do you think your doing now?"

Domino cocked her head to the side, "Why do you ask?"

Ash leaned over the table, "Well, because the reason we're at a casino is that my friends and I are strapped for cash. We went a little overbudget looking for a hotel, and my ladyfriends had their heart set on a shopping spree in Celadon Mall. And since you don't seem to want too much money on your hands, and I am the boss' son, I was just thinking..."

Domino put her hand up, "Say no more." She stood up. "Follow me."

_Money_

_ It's a crime _

_Share it fairly, but don't take a slice of my pie_

Ash followed Domino across the entire building, to the back rooms. Finally, she stopped at a white door, with a glass pane that said 'Manager' on in in black lettering. She opened it up and motioned Ash to step inside.

It was a rather plane office; it had a large white desk with a plasma screen computer monitor on it, and two silver file cabinets stacked side by side. In front of Ash sat two chairs with simple oak frames and leather cushions buiilt into the wood, and on the opposite side of the desk, sat Domino's swivel chair.

_Money _

_So they say _

_Is the root of all evil today_

Domino walk behind her desk, bent over, and pick up a simple metal briefcase, She set in down, and opened it in front of Ash, who couldn't contain excitement upon seeing how much money was in there.

Ash stood agape, "Ho-how much is in there?"

Domino smiled, "Five million. All hundreds."

Ash's mouth couldn't possibly be more open if he was an Ekans.

Domino closed the suitcase and handed it to the raven-haired trainer. Ash took it in hand, and was surprised at how lightweight five million dollers felt in his hands.

Domino smiled once more, "And Ash, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Ash's eyes lit up once more, "Actually, if it's not too much trouble..." Ash leaned over an whispered in her ear.

Domino's eyes lit up, and she walked over to her desk and cleared it off of everything, including the plasma screen. She sat on it with her legs crossed and her chest out. Ash took this as a yes, and reached into his pocket to see if he had a spare condom. He didn't, but figured that was what anal sex was for.

_But if you ask for a raise_

_ It's no surprise that their giving none away_


	12. Chapter 12: All about the money, part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Excuse the short length. It would have been longer, and better, but it is late, and I'm tired. I was going to make this part 2 of 2, but I guess it'll be 2 of 3.  
**

**R&R I suppose  
**

* * *

The Gardevoir serving drinks at a nearby table felt a ostentatious gust of wind, and the men's bathroom door was violently swung open by a visibly annoyed pokemon coordinator. The Gardevoir thought she should reprimand her for violating privacy laws, but one look at her face convinced her to ignore it. A man with a black t-shirt, wrinkled slightly, and a blond crew-cut followed suit, wearing an apologetic look on his face. He ran next to May, but as he was about to say something, May put her hand up and cut off his sentence. She then flipped him the bird, and stormed off to find a certain pokemon master-in-training who she knew from personal experience wasn't such a quick shot.

* * *

Dawn and Zoey walked out of the women's room, with Dawn leaning on Zoey's shoulder, and Zoey drying the young girl's tears. At first, they walked back to the Craps table to take their mind off of things, but when the blunette threatened to start crying again, the two found an empty table and ordered drinks. Zoey had a club soda, while Dawn ordered the strongest drink she could recognize. After a while, Dawn unconsciously put her hand on Zoey's thigh, making the red-haired lesbian blush. Eventually, Dawn passed out on her lap, sending shivers up Zoey's spine.

* * *

After an urgent phone call about a surprise visit from local law enforcement, Domino stepped out of her office, her hair undone and loose, a contented smile across her face, and a slight limp in her left leg. If one were to peek in her private office for the brief moment it was open, one would see a nude teenager, unconscious, smiling, with fuzzy handcuffs attaching him to a file compartment. He was dreaming that he was at a ranch filled with his and someone else's pokemon.

* * *

While all this was going on, no one noticed that Pikachu had gone missing.

* * *

Pikachu stirred from unconsciousness, and the first thing he registered was that he was moving. No, moving wasn't the correct word. He was being dragged. Pikachu opened his eyes and realized he was in a burlap sack.

_Hmm_, he laughed to himself, _whoever was doing this obviously put to much faith in whatever they drugged me with._ Whenever Ash had gone out partying, Pikachu would often sip a bit of his drinks. Alcohol had much more exaggerated effects on pokemon than on humans, but after a while Pikachu had built up a tolerance. Whatever this assailant had used, it either shared some properties with alcohol, or the discipline had carried over to all foreign substances. Regardless, Pikachu had no intention of finding out where he was being taken to. He made his tail glow, preparing an Iron Tail attack, and when it was ready, Pikachu gave a fierce backward roll and ripped the potato sack in half.

Pikachu continued to roll until he landed on all fours to face his attacker, ready to strike. What he found surprised him; the person holding the sack was Jesse and James' Meowth.

Meowth turned around, trying his best to hide his fear, "Damn. I guess I needed to use more of that stuff. You're awake."

"Pi, Pika Ka Chu Pi Pika Pika Chupika?" [So, Jessie and James are still working for Team Rocket?]

Meowth scoffed, "Those opportunist have nothing to do with this. I'm going to get in the boss' good graces myself, and make sure those traitors pay."

"Pikapika Pika Ka Chu Ka Chu Chupika Pikachu! Pi Chu Ka Pi Chu Ka Chu." [Giovanni doesn't want to work for Team Rocket anymore! I heard that from his own mouth.]

Meowth's face contorted in blind rage, "LIES!" He jumped forward with his claws extended, aiming for the fat mouse's throat. Pikachu jumped out of the way, almost mocking how ill-prepared this cat was for battle. The feline turned to face the yellow kidnappee once again, but this time his coin started to glow. Pikachu feared this was a Hyper Beam, and froze in fear. His apprehension was unfounded when Meowth released the built-up power, revealing a simple Pay Day attack that was easily shrugged off. Meowth lunged once again, this time with Pikachu charging with a Quick Attack, and the two exchanged blows for a good amount of time.

Eventually, Pikachu saw his opportunity to end this. Powering up a Volt Tackle, he lunged at Meowth's waist, knocking him backward a good few meter. It did too well, however, and tossed the cat over a barge and into a nearby river. He landed in the water and the residue electrical power expanded throughout the feline's body, into the river.

A gurgled cry emanated from him, as he struggled to find his way out. The shock didn't immediately do its job, but it stunned Meowth long enough for a large amount of water to enter his lungs. He wasn't a strong swimmer to start with, but after enduring a tramatization like the one he just did, all hope was lost for him. After a minute, the small bubbles stopped flowing to the top, and a limp, off-white body floated to the top, dead.

Pikachu stood frozen. He had never meant to kill him, only to knock him out and take him back to Ash. How was he going to explain this? He had never taken a life before, and while he didn't quite believe in a higher power, he felt somewhat unclean, in need of some sort of redemption to offset this tragedy. Not only that, but if he was found out, he would be taken away, and probably be put down for this. He shuddered at the thought. As irrational as it was to, he was afraid of death. He had an intense fear of the unknown, and death was the ultimate unknown. It's not like he could plead his case.

Snapping out of his trance, he realized Meowth was five feet farther away than he was a few moments ago, and he jumped in the water after the corpse. He was a much stronger swimmer than the deceased. He bit down on the cat's tail, and after a agonizing fight against the current, he dragged him to shore. Pikachu rolled him over, and stared at those cold, lifeless eyes. It sent chills across the fat mouse's shoulderblades. He stirred himself free of that glare, and went off to find a unmanned shovel.

* * *

**I think Meowth actually swam before in the show, but I don't care enough to remember. It's late, and I'm tired.**

**On an unrelated note, I've got an idea for a Pokemon/Scrubs story that I don't feel like writing. Here's how the characters will correspond**

**J.D.-O.C**

**Turk-O.C.**

**Elliot-O.C., probably a Joy**

**Carla-Dawn**

**Dr. Cox-Ash**

**Dr. Kelso-Gary**

**Jordan-May**

**Janitor-Either James (with Jesse as Lady), Paul, or an O.C.**

**Ben Sullivan (Jordan's brother with leukemia)-Max**

**What do you guys think? This idea is totally free to claim.  
**


	13. Chapter 13: All about the money, part 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Okay, maybe I wasn't very clear. I'm not going to write the Pokemon/Scrubs crossover. I'm just putting it up for adoption, as it were. Plus, in my vision, it would take place years after the show (to make up the age difference).**

**C'mon, just imagine it.**

**Ash-Gather around doomed new trainers who just paged me. Quick question. What does this...outfit tell you?**

**Gary-You are entering a Joe Piscapo look-alike contest? (exits)**

**Ash-It means that I was just working out, which, incidentally, is the last remaining activity I have in my adult live that qualifies as 'Me Time". Other activities recently crossed off of that list include my morning dump, and all showers. You see, my dear son Jack has decided that those are team sports. However, Pikachu and I are here, totally psyched to hear whatever the super-duper reason is that you paged me. (Young Trainer tells him) That's it. Every single one of you is going to run laps around the hallways until I say stop. (Trainers laugh) You think I'm joking? Pikachu, Thunderbolt! HEYA HYA HYA HYA HYA!**

**Ash-Dawn, for something to be an issue it needs to cause a problem, and honestly, aside from having to, by law, remain 30 feet away from a certain telemarketer whom I visited while he was eating HIS dinner, I don't see the downside.**

**Anyway, back on topic, R&R I suppose  
**

* * *

Ash stirred from his nap to find his hands bound to a large metal drawer low to the ground. Ash attempted to stand up, and after that was deemed impossible due to the position of his hands, he looked around. He was looking for a key to free himself so he could get dressed and get out of here with his money. He found that Domino was gracious enough to leave the key for him, but not gracious enough to put it within his reach, leaving it on the edge of the desk so he could see it.

"Fucking bitch," he muttered under his breath. He looked at the wall clock. It read 6:30-something. He had been out for three hours. Surly someone would be looking for him, right? He hoped they were, but until they actually got here, they wouldn't be of much help. Ash could either wait for them to come find him, which could take hours, or he could think of a way to get himself out of here. He opted for the latter option.

First, he tried to see if he could reach the key with his toes. He bent his legs to prop himself up, and used his shoulderblades as makeshift palms to shimmy himself to the left as much as he could. Then, he pushed his lower body up with his right leg, and extended out with his left foot. He let out a exasperation of victory when he found that, yes, his big toe could touch the edge of the key, but that quickly turned to a yell of dispair when he accidentally pushed the key beyond his reach while trying to grip it between his first two toes. He let his body relax and hit the floor, silently cursing, and banging his head softly against the file cabinet.

He then came up with the rather desperate idea of pulling the drawer over his body and setting it outside the cabinet, thereby allowing him enough movement to reach for the key more easily. It would probably ruin every single piece of paper Domino had in there, but, as far as Ash was considered, this was her fault anyway. He shimmied back in front of the file cabinet, and made lied down as flat as possible. He gave a hard tug at his cuffs. The drawer didn't come loose. Ash grimaced and gave a harder pull. The cabinet came free, and hit him squarely on the top of the head. No good, there wasn't enough clearance for it to pass him. It never occurred to Ash that, if it did indeed have enough room for him to completely pull out, then the entire weight of it would fall squarely on his chest, and possibly kill him. Some things never change.

Ash grunted very loudly, angry that he was still not free. He put the drawer back inside the file cabinet, and just as he was about to think of a new plan, he heard something.

"Aaaaash!" A familiar voice called his name. Ash's ears perked up, happy that he was found.

"May, I'm in here!" He called back to her. Ash saw the door handle jingle, and his eyes winced slightly whe he realized it was locked.

"It's locked." May repeated his thoughts.

"Well, break the window in."

If he could see May's face, he would see it contorted in confusion. "Why can't you just unlock it from in there?"

"Because I can't."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to tell you."

"Why not?"

Ash rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Just break the goddamn window!" he yelled.

May shrugged, "Okay." With one punch, she smashed the window to pieces, leaving a large hole in it, and tearing off the N and O off of Domino's name. Ash's eyes shot open, and he made a mental note not to make her angry.

May reached down with her right hand and gave the knob a quick turn, undoing the lock. She then unlatched it from the outside and walked in. She look down and to the left, and one look at Ash, naked, handcuffed to a file cabinet, made her double over in laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. When your done, could you possibly, I don't know, help me get the fuck out of here?"

May tried to calm down, but her belly still twitched in muffled giggles, "S-sorry, Ash, but... I wish I had my camerahahahahaha!" She started doubling over again, this time falling on her knees.

Ash muttered something under his breath that sounded vaguely like "whore", but said nothing.

* * *

May finally calmed down enough to be civil, and freed Ash from his fuzzy bondage. After nursing the burns the cuffs made on his wrist, Ash grabbed his briefcase and the duo left the sterile office to find Dawn and Zoey. They were found at a table around the Craps table, with Dawn unconscious in Zoey's lap. Ash gave Zoey a wink, making her blush. Ash had previously agreed to help Zoey with her love troubles, but he wasn't above teasing her insecurities in the meantime. Ash gently nudged Dawn awake, and told the group that they were leaving. When questioned why, Ash pointed to his suitcase and said that, while he didn't feel safe telling everyone about it in such a crowded place, he assured them that there money trouble were over for now, and the group could go shopping as they originally planned. Pikachu also popped out of nowhere, but he wasn't very talkative. When they got back to the hotel, Brock had not yet returned, and Misty and the Ex-Rockets were likewise missing.

When Ash showed them what was inside the suitcase, the girls stood agape. They had never seen such a large amount of money in one place. Dawm was already making plans on what she was going to buy. Zoey was thinking on what she was going to buy Dawn. May was thinking on how she was going to reward Ash for this.

After a while, Jessie, James, and Misty came back, and told everyone that Meowth was missing. At this, Pikachu sneaked away to find a pencil, thanking whatever higher power that he had learned how to write human.

* * *

**You know, they actually count shoulderblades as an incorrect spelling? Odd.**

**OMG I didn't call Pikachu a fatty fatty fatenstein in this one. Consider it an early birthday present ****Gerbilfw.**


	14. Chapter 14: Pikachu's lie

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**WOO, two chapters in one day!! Too bad they're so short :(**

**R&R I suppose  
**

* * *

_Dear Jessie and James,_

_The resent two months of my life have been a hellish existence. I can't stand being commanded and shoved around by that brat. I'm not even his pokemon, for God's sake. So I've decided to leave you guys to find a new lot in life. Don't be concerned for me, I've been alone before, and I can muscle through again. Please dismantle my pokeball, I don't want its presence in the back of my mind, drawing my back to you two. This is something I need to do alone. Goodbye._

_Meowth._


	15. Chapter 15: Pillow talk

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Sorry for the delay. I've been watching Kamen Rider all weekend. All Riders vs. Dai Shocker.  
**

**All together now, HENSHIN!!!!  
**

* * *

May was lying next to her lover, only the blanket hiding their modesty. It was only 10:30, and the TV, which looked like it had been made before this building was, had given out 2 hours ago, so they both were bored and restless. May sat up and took a sip of her ice water, while Ash opened his eyes and put his hands under his head, waiting for her to say something. Finally, she did.

"So, what do you think about Meowth leaving us?"

Ash blinked a few times before sitting up to face her, "I don't know. I honestly don't care. He didn't really pull his own weight much, so it's not a big loss, plus it means one less mouth for us to feed. Still, I never have really seen him in a fight, and it would have been nice to ask Jessie if she would trade or something. I know she misses her old Lickitung, and I just happen to have one that I never use anyway. Maybe she'll trade me something else for it, like Wobbuffet." Unknown to Ash, at the mention of Wobbuffet's name, his Dusclops' pokeball started to vibrate wildly. "What about you?"

"Well," May set her glass down on a nearby coaster, "I kinda agree with you. He always just kind of tagged along with us, not really doing much of anything, plus, he was so small, he could hardly carry all the stuff Hekyll and Jekyll could. But I also got this really creepy vibe from him, like he had something he was hiding. He reminded me of a politician I met when I was really little. He was running for Mayor of Petelburg, and he shook my daddy's hand and gave Max a kiss on his cheek." Ash raised an eyebrow. "Relax, he was still a baby. Anyhow, he always struck me as false, like he wanted you on his side, but also wanted to keep you ignorant on what he wanted you for, so he'd just tell you what you want to hear, and lay out his master plan when it was too late to do anything about it. That's what Meowth reminded me of these past two months." May tilted her head in thought, then added, "Well, maybe not as cheery."

Ash giggled and nodded, then stood up to go to the bathroom. As he was in there, May started to examine the last two months very carefully. Mostly, she thought about Ash. Ash had changed so much since they had last seen each other. She caught a glimpse of this when they met in Saffron, but the full brunt of it didn't reach her until much later. He wasn't nearly as dense or ignorant as he used to be, which she considered a plus, but he was also so lax and indifferent about everything. Used to be, he would leap into danger to protect a complete stranger. Now, however, even though the opportunity had yet to present itself, her inner cynic told her otherwise. Still, her woman's intuition told her that, underneath it all, Ash was still the same bright-eyed, high-spirited boy that taught her to love pokemon. The same boy who could match her in a appetite battle. Now, though, he was a man, something she was well aware of.

Ash walked out of the bathroom, and opened his suitcase to find a fresh pair of boxers.

"Hey May, do you want me to get your underwear."

"No. My suitcase is over there." She pointed to the opposite side of the room, "I can get my own tomorrow."

Ash shook his head, "It's no trouble at all." He walked all the way across to her suitcase, and unzipped it. He fished around for a while before he found what he was looking for. "Do you want a bra too, or just panties."

May stared at him, surprised, "Just panties is fine. But could you get me my white T-shirt?"

"Sure, no problem babe." Ash pick out a pair of turquoise panties and May's white pajama shirt to take with him back to the bed. "Here you go"

May reluctantly grabbed the articles of clothing, and put them on. Ash pulled up the covers and lied down next to her.

_Did Ash really call me "babe"?_ A slight blush crept over May's face as she reluctantly reverted back to the 10-year old newbie with a crush on her teacher, who happened to be naked in the same bed as her. She shook it off, and decided that, instead of being shy and reserved, she would get pro-active.

"Say Ash, what will you be doing while the three of us are out shopping?"

Ash raised an eyebrow, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, because Dawn and Zoey will probably go off together on there own, and I would hate to be all alone, so I wanted you to go with me to the mall."

Ash rolled his eyes slightly; he hated shopping.

May continued, "And afterward, we could go to a movie or something."

Ash perked up at this, "May, are you asking me out on a date?"

"Uh, yeah! I would think that that's pretty obvious, knucklehead."

"Yeah, but I thought be agreed to just be friends...with benefits."

"Well, I mulled that over for a while, and I decided that I'm not satisfied with that anymore. So, you interested?"

Ash cracked his neck, "You make it sound like you're giving me a choice in the matter, but you really aren't, are you?"

May smiled, "Nope."

Ash put his hand on his chin and thought it over, "Sure, why not? But if something goes wrong, promise that we'll just go back to the way things were, okay?"

May nodded, "I'm good with that."

"Okay." Ash yawned and threw his arms up to stretch, "Well, let's get some sleep. We've got a big day ahead of us."

"Sounds good." May gave him a peck on the chin, "Good night, lover-boy."

They both lied down flat and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Again, would be longer, but it is midnight.  
**


	16. Prequel: Succumbing to temptation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Okay, since so many people (coughGerbilftwcough) seem to be bothered by Ash's drug use, I thought I might give a little prequel explaining how and why, as well as revealing a bit of what Ash's life was like in between my story and the show. I was planning on making this it's stand alone oneshot, but decided not to on a whim **

**This contains two plot points I wanted to reveal at a later date retroactively, but upon recent deliberation, I decided this would be more poignant.(So many big word. Hard to type.)**

**R&R I suppose  
**

* * *

Ash Ketchum, 15 years old, was lying on a couch in the middle of a Pokemon Center, palms dejectedly covering his face. His attire was similar to what he wore through his Sinnoh journeys, aside from a different pair of gloves (lime green, and without the fingertips cut off) and the lack of any baseball cap on his skull, at his lover's request. After the things she did to him in bed, she could tell him to wear a 19-century ballgown, and he would say 'what color?'. In his current mood, however, he doubted any amount of lovemaking could lift his spirits.

He had know idea what was happening to him lately. He just lost another gym battle, one that, not only he had beaten before, but rather easily as well, although that could have been as much for dumb luck as anything. It wasn't' just that, however. Every battle he had in the last few months, he didn't feel like his normal self. He was veritably drained of energy, barely able to keep up with his pokemon's training. It seems that traveling across the globe since he was a pre-teen has taken its toll on his body, severely draining his stamina from so many sleepless nights without rest. Or there might have been another reason...

"Hey, droopy, still down about what happened today?"

"Pika."

Ash took his hands off of his eyes to get an eyeful of his faithful fat mouse, and, in his opinion, the sexiest woman alive. Sure, she might not be much in the chest department, but her mile-long legs and finely toned buttock made up for that, in his opinion. She was wearing a yellow tank-top, which showed off her midriff, along with a pair of bell-bottom jeans

"Hey, babe. Just thinking over some stuff." Ash sat up and put let his hands fall limply in his lap.

Misty smiled, "Well, how 'bout I join you?" She sat down.

Ash smiled and put his head on Misty's shoulder, as they mused the inklings of the day.

* * *

The next day, he challenged the Mauville Gym once again, bringing with him his Torterra, Donphan, and Gabite. After a brief discussion with Wattson over the rules, and a pep-talk with his team beforehand, he was ready to go, with Brock and Misty sitting on the sidelines to cheer him on.

Wattson gave a hearty laugh, "So Ash, you think you've recovered from the wuppin' I gave you yesterday?"

"Yeah, and I'm gonna return it ten-fold!" Ash boasted, but inside he was still worried and strangely tired.

The judge spoke up, "This battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Wattson Fuse will now commence. Each trainer will only use 3 pokemon each, with the challenger only allowed to use substitutes." He threw his twin flags down, "Begin."

Wattson moved first, "Go Electrode."

A flash of white light was quickly replaced with a large white and red sphere with a smirking face. "Trode."

Ash picked a pokeball for himself, while Pikachu looked on with interest, "Donphan, get out here."

A large brown elephant monster with giant tusk and a tread pattern running across his spine to the tip of his trunk materialized on the field. "Phan."

Wattson didn't even flinch, "Electrode, Explosion."

"Elec-TROOOOOOODE!!!" The Electrode bounced over to Donphan and immediately detonated, sending shockwaves of power throughout the building that everyone could feel firsthand. Donphan was knocked out almost instantaneously.

Ash rubbed his eyes and recalled Donphan, while Wattson stroked his beard and did the same to Electrode. Ash didn't even bother saying anything reassuring to Donphan as he grabbed another ball and tossed it.

"Come on out, Gabite."

A moderately size purple land-shark appeared on the field, spreading its arms in order to look intimidating.

Wattson decided to follow Ash's example, "Go, Magneton."

A cluster of three steel eyeballs, with six magnets and nine screws attached, also materialized on the field, holding a mean look on its face.

Ash grimaced. He new that, being Ground and Dragon, Gabite had a huge advantage to Electric-types, but Steel-types were a slightly different story. Luckily, Ash had spent a lot of time with Gabite.

"Gabite, rush in and use Rock Smash!"

Gabite gave a brisk hop, and started running lithely across the field, arms still outstretched, with his right hand glowing white.

"Magneton, Magnet Bomb."

A small silver orb appeared in the center of Magneton, which was shot forth with great force at the enemy Dragon-type. However, Ash was prepared.

"Gabite, dig underground!"

At that, Gabite dig a tuck and roll, and his claws caught on the dirt, where he started to furiously fling around in random directions until he disappeared underneath the dirt floor, with the Magnet Bomb passing over him harmlessly.

"Woo-hoo, that's my man! I knew you'd never let a little loss keep you down!"

Ash turned to his redheaded boo and smirked in a sort of thank-you. Even if his recent string of near-wins was partially her fault, he couldn't stay mad at her. It's not like he would deny her that. That would be pretty dumb, by guy standards. He was pretty dense, but not dense enough to mess up a good thing.

"Magneton, Lock-On.

Magneton's eyes turned red, and a large red target appeared in the field, indicating where Gabite is.

"Magneton, use Magnet Bomb again!"

Another Magnet Bomb was released, but this time it arced inside the hole that Gabite previously made. A few seconds later, a large explosion came out of the ground, throwing Gabite into the air, where he hit the ceiling, and then fell down. He stayed on the ground for a few minutes before standing back up, looking worn and on his last leg.

Ash scowled. He silently cursed Misty, blaming her for taking his attention away from the battle. He tried to think of another counter game, but Wattson didn't' give him the chance.

"Alright Magneton, let's finish this up quick. Zap Cannon, strong as you can make it!"

* * *

And so here we find Ash Ketchum back on the couch in the Mauville Pokemon Center, dejected and hurt. He sent Brock and Misty out to get some supplies for tomorrow training, partly because he was running short of potions, but mostly because he was too ashamed of himself to look at them, and that he was mad at Misty for distracting him at least three times in the battle.

Religious zealots say that, whenever you are most vulnerable, that is when the devil will offer you a deal. Well, that day, a devil hardly visited Ash, but he was also hardly a saint.

"Hey Ash, long time no see!"

Ash looked up to see a familiar smiling face standing above him, none other than his old rival Ritchie, barely changed at all except for his noticeably shorter hair.

Ash smiled, "Ritchie! Oh my god! I feel like I haven't seen you in ages, man! Sit down! What have you been up to since I last saw you?"

Ritchie sat on the edge of the couch, his body language edgy and dislocated, "Oh, nothing man, I've just been going around, challenging gyms and leagues and whatnot. Just a few weeks ago I caught a Duskull around Lilycove, but that's about it. I'm here to challenge the Mauville Gym. What about you? You seem a bit down. Is it anything I can help you with?"

Ash shrugged, "About the same, like you. I'm going out with Misty now."

"Really? Awesome. She's pretty cute."

"Thanks, but don't try putting any moves on her. I've heard you get around."

"Really, who told you that?"

"That's not important." It was Ritchie's mother. The day he met her was the day he decided to keep his mother in the dark about his sex life at all cost.

"Well, whatever. Have you challenged the gym here yet?" Ritchie started to scratch his chin absentmindedly.

Ash sighed, "Yeah, but I lost. For the second time."

Ritchie stopped scratching his chin, "Really? Is he that tough? I would figure that, by now, you would flatten any gym leader out in a second!"

Ash slouched a bit, "No, he's not really that hard, honestly. The truth is, for the past couple of weeks, I've been pretty off my game. I've just been feeling tired all the time, like...like all this roaming around has knocked me out. Plus, every night, Misty wants sex, and that makes me even more sluggish in the morning. It's like I..."

"...can't keep up with the life anymore?" Ritchie finished Ash's sentence, his eyes thoughtful.

"Yeah, exactly! How did you guess?"

Ritchie stood up purposefully, and a mischievous grin encompassed his face, "Follow me. I've got the answer to all your problems, man."

* * *

Upstairs in Ritchie's room, which he was renting out on top of the Pokemon Center, Ritchie wasted no time walking to the bathroom, leaving Ash baffled at his friend's strange jittery behavior.

The room was simple: Single, queen sized bed, plain walls, windowpane that was strangely broken small table next to the bed with telephone on it. Nothing special. Ash did take notice of the musky smell that permeated the room, but the open box of condoms quickly told the story behind that. Another thing that struck Ash as strange was that he had nothing in here except the condoms. No pack or anything. It was as if...

Ash thought were interrupted by the slam of a door, swung with so much for it nearly made Ash's hair stand on end. If he was still wearing his hat, it would have surely been knocked on the ground. Ritchie took no notice of Ash's shock, however, and quickly went to the business he had set out for.

"Ash, come in here with me. I have something that I think will solve your predicament." Ritchie motioned to follow him in the bathroom.

The bathroom, like the apartment, was rather unremarkable, but also surprisingly clean, like and obsessive-compulsive maid had stayed overnight to scrub every crevice free of dirt and grime. Despite the sparkling veneer of the room, tiny inklings of powder were buried in between the floor tiles, something Ash failed to notice.

"Okay Ritchie, where is this supposed answer?"

Ritchie reached into his jacket, and pulled out a plastic bag of what looked like granulated sugar.

"This, man. This'll give you all the energy you'll ever need, and more."

Ash stared wide-eyed, "R-Ritchie, is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah, bro, straight up blow, just like in that Johnny Depp movie."

Ash started to backtrack toward the door, "But that suff's dangerous! What are you doing messing around with it?! I can't believe you of all people would be! I'm getting out of here!"

Ritchie scowled, "Oh, come off your high Ponyta, Ash, and wake up! This isn't the land of fairy tales and pixie dust! It's time for your first lesson in how the world works!" He walked over to the door, and slammed his palm against it, closing it just as Ash undid the latch.

"Lesson one: The world is a hard place. It doesn't play fair, it doesn't consider your feelings and well-being every goddamn second, and it will not ever ease up, no matter how many times you ask it nicely! Sometimes, people need a little something extra just to get through the day. I thought you would understand that much. Am I wrong?" Ritchie took his hand off of the door. "Please, go ahead and leave, but I promise you, I'm the only one whose ever going to give you a break like this."

Ash stepped away from the door. He couldn't believe it, but he was actually considering what Ritchie was saying. Ash knew very well how difficult life was firsthand, and, honestly, some days he did feel like he would just barely make it through without collapsing. Especially lately. Was Ritchie ever the same way? Did this stuff really help him as much as he said it did? Ash wasn't sure.

However, he also knew how dangerous cocaine was. He had been down the seedier parts of cities many times before, and what he saw, he did not enjoy looking at. Crack-whores lumbering around, willing to do anything for a fix. One even offered to blow Ash for a ten-spot. Ash declined, too afraid of what lurked in that mouth besides her tongue. Would that ever happen to him? Would he end up a slavering addict destined to chase the dragon, or whatever the phrase was, forever, if he did this?

* * *

That night, in the thralls of passion, a new found energy coursed through Ash's body, and Misty came harder than she ever had before.

* * *

Two years later, in Rustboro City, Ritchie was shot by his drug connection for failing to pay for his fix. He died instantly. Ash Ketchum never found this out.

* * *

**K, new premise I'm putting up for adoption. A sort-of Pokemon/Kamen Rider crossover**

**Ash has disappeared for 2-10 years, taking with him only Pikachu and Heracross, and The Team Rocket Trio, having given up hope of catching Pikachu, have decided to take Ash's other Pokemon instead. His friends, whoever you want them to be, fight valiantly to fend them off, but the bad guys actually manage to win, until a strange man on a stylish motorcycle shows up, revealed to be Ash. He does a quick speech, dons a odd looking belt, picks Heracross' pokeball, shouts "Henshin" and the top of his lungs, and attaches the ball to the belt somehow. Then he gets covered in blue armor (that I think would look like a cross between Decade's and Kabuto's rider form) and fights off Team Rocket as Kamen Rider Poke', using Heracross' attacks for his Rider Punch/Chop/Charge-Up/Kick.**

**Limitation-the belt can only work with Bug-type Pokemon, both limiting Ash's forms to Heracross, possibly Butterfree, and whatever Bug-type you want, and keeping with Kamen Rider's insect theme and traditional segmented eyes.**

**The only reason I'm not doing this is that 1)I'm still working on three fics, and I don't want to overburden myself and 2) I have no idea what to do with is after the premier. Much love to whoever picks it up.  
**


	17. Chapter 16: Choices

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Just trying to get back into the groove of things. I've come down with a case of writer's block, so some of my next chapters might be shorter and a bit uninspiring.**

**R&R I suppose.  
**

* * *

That night, tears stung the Rockets' eyes, as they held each other in sleep.

* * *

Mourning. Ash's eyelids slowly unfurled themselves as their owner drifted back toward consciousness. Even as they opened, he yearned for the comfort of sleep still, and closed them again. Eventually, while thinking about his dream of electric sheep, a knot formed in his back, and he rolled to the right to relieve any pressure on his back. He bumped into May, and his eyes shot open, remembering his promise from last night.

Ash rolled back over to his side of the bed, and he mulled over in his head whether or not he should go through with it. On one hand, May seemed to understand him more than anyone he had ever met Ash is a man who cannot function in society by himself. While his idealism has slipped away from him, he also lost some of his conscience, adopting a larger sense of self-preservation. He'll still help out his friends, but he won't risk his life and limb for them. May seems to understand this about him, making it easier for her than anyone else to help him adjust to the world. Plus, she was smoking hot to boot.

On the other hand, she seemed to have most of the exact same flaws he did. Ash needed someone to help him adjust to the world, to bridge the gap between his new philosophies and insecurities, and the benefits the world had to offer. That meant having someone that was part him, part everyone else help him. Ash wasn't so sure May was that person, so an ongoing relationship with her could have drastic, irreversible effects.

While Ash was thinking this over, May was mumbling in her sleep, "...Sure, Mr. Jagger, we can go up to your room if you want....Okay I can call you Mick...'

Ash raised an eyebrow and looked at his sleeping beauty. That was definitely a strike against.

* * *

**In _Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncolleted Science Fiction,_ Kurt Vonnegut Jr. wrote down some rules for writing short stories. Now, I know this is hardly a 'short' story, but it did inspire an idea for a survey of sorts, based on his rules. Here is Rule #7**

**_Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia._**

**So tell me, I've been getting a lot of praise for my story, but is anyone displeased at all with this story? If so, why? I'd love to here your input.  
**

**I'll be going away until Monday or Tuesday, by the way.**


	18. Chapter 17: Chosen

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, or Kick-Ass, or Batman, or Clash of the Titans.  
**

**Rule #2**

**_Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for_**

**Who, in my story, is your favorite character? Don't base in on there characterization in the anime, unless it is a compare and contrast.**

**Also, I don't have a question for this one, but I'll add Rule #5**

**_Start as close to the end as possible._**

**R&R I suppose. I'm still trying to get back into the groove of things._  
_**

* * *

The first thing that popped into Dawn's mind when she stepped into the Celadon Mall was that it wasn't nearly as big as she thought it was.

That could be because the top three floors were closed due to electrical problems, but Dawn had always pictured something larger, more monolithic, with an inconceivable amount of floors reaching to the sky. Something beyond the capabilities of modern masonry. Still, a few of the department stores and the better of the food courts were still open, so at least this trip would not be a complete waste.

Zoey grabbed Dawn's wrist and headed to the nearest Macy's for the purpose of getting new contest dresses, while May and Ash walked to J. C. Penney's for the same reason, although they had other plans afterward.

* * *

Misty, however, didn't want to tag along, so she volunteered to babysit Pikachu while everyone else was out (The Rockets were taking the day off to mourn the disappearance of their friend). Pikachu, fat as he was, was never any trouble, so she just went to a local park, let out Ash's other pokemon so they could stretch a bit, and sent them off to do whatever while she sat on a nearby bench, making sure they didn't cause any trouble. When Dusclops started harassing some poor kid's Slowpoke, Misty was about to send out her Huntail, when Heracross popped up from his swimming and delivered a Megahorn to his stomach, knocking him out cold. Misty apologized to the boy, and recalled the misguided (to put it mildly) Ghost-type.

While Ash's other pokemon were goofing off, Tyranitar showboating as usual, Misty lit up a cigarette, and her mind recalled the day she broke up with Ash.

She laughed. She laughed for two reasons. Firstly, she laughed because, upon recollection, the reason they split apart was so stupid and trivial, she could hardly believe even someone as, admittedly, emotional as herself would get worked up over it. Secondly, she laughed because, even though was being trivial then, Ash has become so apathetic and cocky, she would probably have broken up with him over that, and it was unlikely that they would patch up as evenly as they were now, or at least not for a few years. He's gotten a little better over time, but what inspired such a change in the first place?, she wondered.

She hoped May knew what she was getting herself into.

* * *

"Oh my God, it's full of stars!"

Dawn gasped at the midnight blue sleeveless dress Zoey held in front of her, which glittered with rhinestones running down the skirt, and up the v-neck. Zoey laughed at her friend's comment. She couldn't believe she had actually seen that movie!

"Wow, pull out that obscure reference, why don't you? You realize half the people in here won't get that joke."

Dawn placed her hand on her hip, "Well, you talk about it often enough, I figure I might as well see what you're blabbering about."

Dawn smiled as Zoey handed her the dress to try on. While in the dressing room, Dawn was pleased to find out that the dress fit perfectly. Zoey always seemed to know Dawn's measurements. It was a miracle of memory she supposed.

Lately, Dawn has been acting strange around Zoey. She would blush whenever Zoey touched her, she's been engaging in flaunty wordplay with the redhead tomboy, and now this dress. It was strange. She also began to look at Zoey differently. Almost......sexually?

No. Impossible. She was as straight as an arrow. She had never had any feelings for her own gender before, not even the mildest curiosity. She couldn't possibly swing that way.

Could she?

* * *

After a bit of shopping and some time spent at the food court, Ash and May left the mall, dropped off May's new acquisitions at the hotel (well...giving them to Brock), and headed out to a move theater. Standing in front of the ticket booth, Ash asked his new girl an old questions.

"What movie do you want to see?"

May tilted her head toward the wall behind the ticket booth, reading everything on the list.

"I don't know, what do you think is good?"

Ash looked over the list himself, "What about _Kick-Ass_? I've heard good things about that."

May shrugged, "I'm not really into superhero movies. I watched _The Dark Knight_ a year ago, and it turned me off from them."

Ash's eyes widened, "You're kidding? You didn't like _The Dark Knight_?"

May shook her head, "It took itself way too seriously. When someone dresses up in a rubber bat-suit and fights killer clowns, you can only take it so seriously without it getting boring."

Ash drew his head back indignantly, "Well, I don't know. I think, given the context of the film, it couldn't really be done in a tone like that."

"It also...I don't know, felt like it was at a constant climax, if that makes any sense."

"Well, you're entitled to your opinion, but is one bad movie really a reason to turn away from a whole genre."

May shook her head again, "I just don't want to watch it, okay? Let's pick something else." She skimmed over the list again, "How about _Clash of the Titans_? I've never seen the original before, but I've heard it's good."

Ash shrugged, "Yeah, it's pretty cool, but it was kinda hokey. Well, whatever it sounds good to me."

The two teens walked up to a free booth and bought two tickets.

* * *

**The opinion expressed here on these movies are not necessarily my own.**


	19. Chapter 18: Worst date ever

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, or Clash of the Titans, or McDonald's**

**My shortest chapter yet (except for Pikachu's lie), but one with a plot point I want to get out of the way.**

**R&R I suppose  
**

* * *

Two and a half hours later, a large group of people walked out of the movie theater, including a certain trainer/coordinator pair. Both of them were looking down, not wanting to look each other in the eye.

After a while, May spoke, "I'm sorry."

Ash shook his head, "It's okay, you didn't know. Hell, I didn't know either! I mean, did you see that Medusa effect?"

May laughed, "I know! How could they have possibly messed that up? And the guy who played Perseus?"

Ash laughed as well, "Really. That dude needs to take some acting classes or something. His face was like stone!"

The two teens laughed, and walked away from the theater to find someplace to eat. After a short walk, May reached out and grabbed Ash's hand.

* * *

After the horrible movie, things took a turn for the worse.

It seemed the universe was conspiring against them, because every single restaurant in town was closed. Five were being fumigated, two were taking a holiday, and one of them had the staff on strike. The best they could do was a fast food restaurant. A McDonald's. It got even worse from there. After the food was ordered, May went to get her own ketchup and tripped. Apparently, the counters were a lot sharper then they looked, because while she didn't hit her head, her shirt had caught on something and ripped clean in half, exposing her for all the world to see. May ran into the bathroom, thanking whatever gods were out there her bra didn't go with shirt. Ash, with the best of intentions, walked into the girls bathroom to find her. Another girl was washing her hands, and she screamed bloody murder and ran out the door when she saw him. Ash, not at all phased, knocked on every stall until she found May, then slipped his flannel jacket under the door so she could preserve what was left of her modesty. The two of them sneaked out of the McDonald's just as Officer Jenny pulled up to investigate a 'Peeping Tom' complaint, and went straight back to the hotel.

The two teens made it to their room without any further incident. May took off Ash's jacket and handed it to him, then took off her ruined blouse and threw it in the trash bin. She felt no need to be coy anymore; after all, the two of them have been screwing for the past two months.

Ash spoke first, "Look May, if you're upset, I can understand, but you promised that..."

He was interrupted by May jamming her tongue down his throat.

After a few seconds, May broke the kiss, "Ash, I've got the craziest idea."

Ash blinked, happy that she wasn't mad or anything, "What?"

"Let's get married."

* * *

**Rule #8**

**_Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages._**

**LOL cockroaches. So, how do you think this story will end?**

**Also, is there any part of this story I have not adequately explained? (Not counting the reason behind Ash and Misty's break-up; I want to that to remain intentionally ambiguous.)  
**


	20. Chapter 19:What's love got to do with it

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Double update, people. Make sure to read over last chapter first.**

**R&R I suppose  
**

* * *

"Let's get married."

Ash's jaw dropped, "W-w-w-w-w-w-w-what?"

May giggled, "You heard what I said. Let's get married."

May sat down on the mattress and began to strip down to her undergarments. Ash stood there for a moment, still stunned from what she had asked him. In the midst of his thought process, he saw an incongruity.

"You can't get married. You're 16. You need your parent's permission."

May shook her head and wagged her finger at him sarcastically, "Ah, ah, ah. You forgot about the Pokemon Emancipation Clause."

"The what?"

May went to her suitcase picked out a white nightshirt to sleep in, then she sat back down and explained herself.

"The Pokemon Emancipation Clause states that any child who leaves home to travel for a Pokemon related trade, whether it be training, coordinating, breeding, or other, is legally emancipated from their household after 350 days, and considered an adult. So you see, I don't even have to tell my family. Of course, I will, but they can't do anything about it, even if they want to."

May stood up and put her arms around Ash's waist, "Besides, my family trust you anyway, I'm sure they won't object."

Ash was flabbergasted. How did May know so much about law? That wasn't important right now, but one question was.

"Why do you want to marry me, of all people?"

May smiled, "Why not?"

* * *

It took every ounce of Dawn's willpower to not jump up into the air, "So what did he say after that?"

May smiled, "Well, it took a bit more convincing, but eventually he agreed."

Misty eyes were glazed over with a myriad of emotions, but she did manage to talk. "So when are you two tying the knot, exactly?"

May took a sip of her coffee, "Tomorrow. He has a gym battle today, so I have to book an appointment with the local wedding temple. We can pick up some mock rings in the temple's gift shop, get real ones whenever we get the chance, and be out of Cerulean and on to Fuchsia in a few days."

Dawn, caught up in the romance of the moment, couldn't help but jump up and squeal in delight. Zoey, on the opposite spectrum, slunk into her chain, convinced her friend was throwing her life away. Misty, however, cut to the crux of the matter.

"May, why are you getting married? Do you love him?"

May took a long sip of her coffee, then giggled.

"What's love got to do with it?"

* * *

Ash, still dazed from the night before, decided that such an important life event needed to be communicated to his family, so he went to the next door Pokemon Center, and called his parents at home.

_Ring...ring....ring..._

Giovanni picked up the other end, "Hi Ash. This is unexpected. You usually don't call us or anything. What's up?"

Ash shuffled nervously, but he was glad it was his dad he was calling, as his mother could get a bit emotional, "Well, it's kind of hard to explain, but...I'm getting married tomorrow."

If Giovanni was shocked at all, he hid it very well, "Oh. Well. That's unexpected. Who's the girl?"

"Her name's May Maple. Mom knows her."

"Oh."

There was a silence for a few moments before anyone spoke again.

"You know son, getting married is a big deal. Are you sure you don't want to wait a while before you do this?"

Ash put his hand behind his head, "Well, to be honest, no. But the way she explained it to me last night made it sound like a good idea."

Giovanni's eyes shifted to the left, "Women are like that, son."

Ash giggled, "So, have you and Mom set the date for your, uh, renuptual day I think is the term?"

"No, not yet," Giovanni started to shift nervously, "We're still...celebrating."

Ash nodded uncomfortably, understanding exactly what his father meant.

"Oh, by the way, I feel I should tell you this. You remember Jessie and James, right?"

Giovanni's eyebrows became very rigid, "They're not bothering you, are they? If so, just say the word, and I'll..."

Ash shook his head, "No no no, it's not like that. I kinda hired them to be my, uh, lackeys, as it were."

Now Giovanni did show signs of surprise, "Hired them? Are you sure you want to do that? They... don't exactly have the best track record."

Ash grinned, "Well, neither do you."

Giovanni laughed, "Touche, son, Touche."

* * *

**Rule #6**

**_Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of._**

**Do you think I've been sadistic enough?  
**


	21. Chapter 20: Achilles' heel, part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**Ah, my Achilles heel, the action scene. Oh well, I figure if I divide it up a bit maybe people won't notice that, half the time, my combatants just stand around (just like in the game. hmmm...)**

**R&R I suppose  
**

* * *

"My, Ash. You seem to have more of your friends along this time. And aren't those two the ones who blew up my gym last time you were here?" A girl in a kimono, known as Erika, narrowed her eyes angrily.

Jesse and James shuffled nervously, "Uh, no?"

"Get out."

Heads sunken in shame, the two ex-criminals left.

"First Meowth leaves us, and now we can't even watch our boss get his next gym badge! What a week." James commented melancholic-like.

Erika continued, "So, Ash, are you ready to get this started?"

Ash, well on his way into a cocaine high, blinked hist eyes a few times, "Whenever you are."

"Good." Erika turned to her judge, "We are ready to start."

The judge girl picked up her flags, and exclaimed the rules at the top of her lungs, "This battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Erika will now commence! Each trainer will use three pokemon, with only the challenger using substitutes! The Gym Leader will send out her pokemon first! Begin!"

Erika plucked a pokeball from under her kimono, gave it a light kiss, and tossed it onto the field, "Come forward, Bellossom."

A white flash of light, and a small green humanoid with a grass skirt and two flowers on her head appeared on the field.

"Beeeeeeellossom!"

Ash reached in his belt, deciding to follow through with his plan.

"Quilava, I need you."

Another white flash, and a weasel-shaped monster with fire shooting out of its head and tail came forward.

"Quilava, start this off with flamethrower."

The monster opened its mouth, and breathed a violent stream of flames in the direction of the effeminate Bellossom. Without saying a word, Bellossom twirled to the left, completely avoiding the abrasive attack.

"Flamethrower again, Quilava. This time, sweep the field."

'Bellossom, Stun Spore."

Quilava shot out another stream of fire, but this time Bellossom jumped into the air and started shaking its grass skirt, releasing a fine yellow powder. Before the powder could reach Quilava's sensitive nose, Ash gave another order.

He smirked while he said it, "Smokescreen."

This time, when Quilava opened his mouth, a thick black fog escaped, virtually smothering the powder, as well as Bellossom. The fog made it so sick the flowers on its head were beginning to wilt.

Erika's eyes widened with concern, but before she could call another order, Ash beat her to the punch.

"Quilava, finish this match with Flame Wheel."

After remaining virtually static for this whole match, Quilava was happy to finally move a little bit. Like a dart, he rushed forward, and a red aura of fire surrounded his body until, finally, he rammed into the sick Bellossom, scorching it, and knocking it on its back. Bellossom stood up, and tried to shake off its illness as the smokescreen dissipated.

"Bellossom, use Leaf Storm!"

After collecting its bearings, Bellossom spun its no-longer-wilted head flowers and launched a barrage of blade-sharp leaves at Quilava, each one making contact with his skin, hitting him hard enough that he lost his footing and fell on his stomach.

"Leaf Storm again!"

Again, leaves were thrown at Quilava from Bellossom's forehead, but with much less force than last time. Toward the end, Quilava managed to roll out of the way, and regain his footing."

"Okay Quilava, Smokescreen again, and follow it up with a direct Flamethrower."

As order, Quilava spit up a brand new cloud of fog, making Bellossom sick all over again. However, before it could run to the other side of the area, it was struck by a potent stream of fire, knocking it on the ground. Bellossom tried to stand once again, but just as it got back on its feet, it fell over, unconscious.

"Bellossom is unable to battle! The winner is Quilava!"

Erika withdrew the unconscious pokemon, congratulating it for its hard work, before speaking.

"Well Ash, it seems you've stepped up your game since last time."

Ash laughed, "Well, considering I almost beat you last time anyway, it wouldn't much for me to do it now."

Erika smirked evilly, "Don't get so cocky, Ash, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." She picked up another pokeball from under her kimono, and Ash thought that, under that robe-thing, she was probably pretty hot.

Too bad I'm getting hitched tomorrow, Ash thought, and he looked over to his fiancee, whom he had only known for two months after years of separation.

"Go, Ludicolo!"

Ash's attention turned back to the issue at hand, and he started to sweat a little bit as he saw a Spanish-looking Water-Grass type suddenly in front of his Quilava, smiling and dancing madly.

Erika rubbed her temples, "Ludicolo, stop fooling around and use Hydro Pump."

Ludicolo snapped from its trance, and spit up a powerful stream of crystal clear water at the hapless Fire-type.

"Quilava, dodge and use Swift."

Quilava ran to the left, catching the dual-type off guard, and spit up a cluster of stars that homed in on Ludicolo. These, however, did nothing at all to phase the burly monster, whose defense had impeccably been trained.

"Hydro Pump again."

Turning its body, Ludicolo fired another stream of liquid, hitting Quilava straight in the face, and knocking it back.

"Now, Zen Headbutt."

Ludicolo's sombrero-like appendage on its head started glowing pink, and it rushed forward as fast as it could, ramming Quilava before it could regain its footing, effectively knocking it unconscious.

"Quilava is unable to battle! Ludicolo is the winner!"

Ash withdrew Quilava, "Nice job, buddy. Take a nap for a while." Ash put Quilava's ball back on his belt, "Wow, I didn't know you had a Ludicolo."

"Yeah, I took a vacation in Hoenn two years ago, to visit my niece Flannery in Lavaridge. While there, we took a trip to Fallarbor Town, and I found this guy as a Lombre. We've been tricking Fire-type trainers together ever since," Erika couldn't help but snickering at her cleverness.

Ash wasn't nearly as amused, but he smirked anyway, "Well, I'll admit, this causes a bit of a hitch in my plan, but luckily, I have backup." He plucked another pokeball from his belt, "Heracross, come on out!"

* * *

**Rule #4**

**_Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action._**

**Is there anything you think this story could do without, or with?_  
_**


	22. IMPORTANT, READ

HELL HELL HELL HELL MOTHER OF HELL!

Oh for fuck's sakes, how could I do something so stupid!

Sorry, let me explain. Every once in a while with my stories, I'll reread them to try to pick up little errors or other things I don't like. Well, I just noticed it now, but apparently I saved over chapter 3 with chapter to while I was doing that. Which wouldn't be a problem, but I don't have a backup for it (that's a story for another time), and I can't remember every little detail of what happened ( I remember the basics; Ash sneaks out of the apartment, May is pregnant, etc, etc,).

Because of this, and also because I've been sitting here for 4 months without updating it, except for the one chapter I pulled, I'm just going to cancel the story for now, and maybe rewrite it in the future. As consolation (if you can call it that), I'll tell you the end of some of the plots that I had in mind.

* * *

Ash would overdose on cocaine, and everyone, even his parents, would give up on him, except for May. He would check into rehab for a few months, but miss the Indigo League. He then decides to retire and become a Frontier Brain.

* * *

Zoey would confess to Dawn, but Dawn would reject her, and try to get on a ship to get away from her. The ship would explode and Dawn would die.

* * *

Ash and May would get married, and have three children; Perry, Jordan, and Dawn. They would try to keep their sex life alive with various means: public sex, group sex, etc., but eventually settle on BDSM, with the dominate partner switching every week, so as to avoid relationship complications.

* * *

Team Rocket would become ranch hands for Ash and May.

* * *

Brock would blah blah blah blah blah blah nothing interesting.

* * *

Misty would...about the same as Brock. I never had anything planned for them, to be honest, except for Misty, and I did that already. (The whole ex-girlfriend thing.)

* * *

Max would never, ever appear in my story. Not even a mention by name. To hell with him.

* * *

So, that's it, guys. I'm sorry if this is a bit anti-climatic. But don't give up hope! Even more advanceder is still around, and also The New Doctor (though that might only appeal to Doctor Who fans, but still), also, I might rewrite this someday, whenever I refine my style more. See you around.


End file.
